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LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 
CARROLL  PURSELL 


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PRESS  OF  HANCOCK  BROS. 
SAN  FRANCISCO 


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COPYRIGHT.  APRIL.   1915. 
CLARA   KATE   WITTENMYER. 


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(0r»  intro&nrtarg  Irtirr 


INTRODUCTORY  LETTER. 


Dear  Alumnae  Sisters  and  Friends  of  our  beloved 
Mrs.  Mills: — 

This  little  book,  designed  for  her  most  intimate 
friends  and  those  of  her  girls  who  understood  and 
loved  her,  is  only  a  forerunner  or  suggestion  of  what 
is  intended  to  be  a  permanent  edition,  each  page 
of  which,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  contributed  by  one  of 
you  under  the  date  which  you  shall  specify;  extra 
pages  will  be  inserted  for  all  duplicate  dates. 

My  desire  is  to  reach  as  many  of  you  as  possible 
and  have  each  one  who  will,  write  a  page  to  appear 
under  your  own  birthday  date.  If  you  should  wish 
to  write  more  than  one  page,  birthday  dates  for 
others  may  be  designated,  but  have  each  page  com- 
plete in  itself.  The  name  is  to  be  entered  under 
the  date  as  well  as  in  an  index. 

It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  so  many  failed  to 
give  the  birthday  date.  Please  send  it  for  the  next 
book. 

This  issue,  limited  in  the  number  of  copies,  is 
intended  only  for  those  of  you  who  care  to  send  for 
it;  for  most  of  you  will,  undoubtedly,  prefer  the 
next  edition  which  will  contain  more  of  your  in- 
dividual contributions.  These  personal  pages  are 
of  such  nature  that  we  shall  love  to  read  them  not 
only  to  recall  the  pictures  of  school-life  with  their 
lights  and  shades,  but  also  to  bring  more  vividly 
to  mind,  that  dear  one  whom  words  in  all  their 
varied  combinations  are  inadequate  to  describe. 

Whether  "Mills  Girls"  or  dear  friends,  should 
we  not  endeavor  to  do  for  her  memory  all  in  our 
power,  not  only  for  ourselves,  but  for  your  children 
and  your  children's  children?  For  this,  I  hope  that 
you  will  really  wish  to  contribute  to  the  1916  or 
permanent  edition. 

That  Year  Book  will  number,  approximately,  as 
many  copies  in  the  issue  as  orders  are  given  in 
advance  or  when  you  send  in  your  material. 

It  was  my  earnest  desire  that  these  books  be 
available  for  one  dollar,  but  I  find  that  utterly  im- 
possible. The  price  will  be  $1.50,  although  the 


white  cloth  binding  and  the  several  illustrations 
make  the  cost  per  volume  somewhat  more  than  that 
amount.  (I  make  mention  of  this  simply  that  you 
may  know  that  this  is  not  a  "money-making  plan," 
but  a  work  of  dearest  love.)  Should  any  of  you  wish 
a  white  leather  binding  for  your  1916  book  and  will 
let  me  know  in  time,  I  will  ascertain  the  cost  and 
notify  you  before  you  place  your  order. 

This  idea  of  a  Birthday  Book  grew  out  of  the 
work  I  have  begun  for  "The  History  and  Memoirs 
of  Susan  Lincoln  Mills. ' '  It  was  soon  found  that 
such  a  volume  intended  for  general  reading  and  for 
the  public  at  large,  to  be  well-compiled  and  care- 
fully edited,  will  require  upwards  of  two  years  for 
completion,  so  the  thought  of  a  Birthday  Book  by 
her  girls,  for  her  girls,  took  form,  although  it  was 
crystallized  too  late  in  the  year  for  me  to  com- 
municate with  enough  of  you  to  carry  the  idea  out 
fully  in  an  immediate  issue. 

Miss  F.  A.  Madison  of  Mills  College  is  to  unite 
with  me  in  editing  the  ' '  Memoirs. ' ' 

Over  two-thirds  of  the  pages  have  been  supplied 
from  the  added  material  sent  in,  from  items  gath- 
ered from  newspaper  articles,  Mills  Magazines  and 
Bulletins,  from  letters,  poems,  and  selections  treas- 
ured by  Mrs.  Mills,  references  to  the  Tolman  family, 
and  even  poems  and  excerpts  from  material  received 
for  the  contemplated  volume  of  Memoirs.  With  this 
help  it  has  taken  three  months,  excluding  the  holi- 
day weeks,  to  prepare  the  copy  for  the  press. 

Will  not  some  one  write  an  original  and  compre- 
hensive Dedicatory  Verse  f  For  the  one  herein, 
you  recognize  that  I  have  adapted  the  introductory 
stanza  of  Tennyson's  "Idyls  of  the  King." 

' '  These  to  His  memory — since  he  held  them  dear, 
Perchance  as  finding  there  unconsciously, 
Some  image  of  himself — I  dedicate 
I  dedicate,  I  consecrate  with  tears 
These  Idyls." 

It  is  impossible  for  me  to  reach  all  of  the  Alum- 
nae, so  I  send  to  several  in  the  various  localities 
asking  that  you  who  receive  this  will  please  get 
word  to  others  of  her  "girls,"  graduate  or  non- 
graduate,  and  of  her  intimate  friends  who  will 
desire  to  contribute.  May  I  not  depend  upon  you 
to  give  this  help  personally  or  through  your  Mills 
Alumnae  Branch! 


There  should  be  a  contributed  page  for  every  day 
of  the  year,  to  replace  these  for  which  I  have  sup- 
plied material,  unless  you  prefer  to  select  from  such 
material  to  represent  a  birthday  page. 

Send  it  by  next  July  if  possible,  certainly  not 
later  than  September  the  fifteenth,  addressing  to 
nie  either  at  the  Mills  College  P.  O.  or  1052  Jackson 
Street,  San  Francisco. 

If  those  who  have  not  done  so,  will  prepare  an 
article,  tribute,  appreciation,  (poetry  or  prose),  for 
the  Memoirs,  or  material  for  me  to  select  from  or 
apply  for  that  work,  I  shall  appreciate  it  and  be 
pleased  to  send  suggested  topics  upon  request. 

While  some  of  the  articles  for  this  little  book 
were  sent  in  for  me  to  select  from,  or  to  reconstruct, 
as  I  might  think  best,  I  have  generally  entered 
them  as  received,  leaving  the  writer  to  make  her 
own  revision  for  her  birthday  page  of  the  next 
issue. 

Eemember  that  this  book  is  meant  for  those 
who  best  knew  Mrs.  Mills  and  loved  her;  for 
those  who  under  our  most  homely  and  inadequate 
expressions,  will  yet  feel  the  sympathetic  touch, 
the  response  of  the  own  heart's  understanding, — 
and  occurrences  that  seemed  so  insignificant  at  the 
time  they  happened  or  even  as  faults  perchance, 
will,  when  read  now,  be  lovingly  recalled  "as  re- 
membrances to  bless. ' ' 

Will  all  who  have  contributed  and  will  con- 
tribute to  either  or  both  of  these  projects,  and  all 
who  have  written  only  the  personal  letters,  please 
accept  my  sincere  thanks.  I  could  not  forbear  en- 
tering some  lines  from  those  letters,  they  are  so 
very  "heart  to  heart"  and  more  free  in  their 
expression  of  tender  thought  than  if  they  had  been 
written  for  print. 

May  I  ask  you  to  review  this  little  book  in  the 
spirit  of  the  love  in  which  it  is  compiled.  While 
others  could  do  much  better,  no  one  can  do  her 
justice,  so  apology  is  futile.  With  your  further 
help,  however,  I  hope  to  have  the  next,  a  Birthday 
Book  as  well  as  a  Memory  Book. 

Affectionately, 


OKacfj  memory  jjere, 
fcotf)  o'er  me  breatfje 
a  lobutg  benebtction. 


January  1. 


Wherefore  take  unto  you  the  whole  armour  of  God,  that 
ye  may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and  baring 
done  all,  to  stand, 

Stand  therefore,  having  your  loins  girt  about  with  truth, 
and  having  on  the  breastplate  of  righteousness; 

And  your  feet  shod  with  the  preparation  of  the  gospel 
of  peace; 

Above  all,  taking  the  shield  of  faith,  wherewith  ye  shall 
be  able  to  quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked. 

And  take  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God: 

Praying  always  with  all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the 
Spirit,  and  watching  thereunto  with  all  perseverance. — 

Eph.  6:13-18. 


(From  a  New  Year 's  Letter  of  Mrs.  Mills) 

DEAR  Friend: 
My  mind  has  been  dwelling  much,  during 
the  last  few  days  upon  two  noble  utterances. 
One  is  from  the  writings  of  an  English  poet: 

"  "Pis  life  whereof  our  nerves  are  scant; 
Oh,  life  not  death  for  which  we  pant! 
More  life  and  better  that  we  want." 

The  other  is  from  the  lips  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  "I  am  come  unto  you  that  they  may  have 
life  and  that  they  may  have  it  more  abundantly." 

The  first  of  these  gives  expression  to  what  all  of 
us  have  felt,  I  suppose,  in  our  best  moments.  The 
other  tells  us  how  our  Heavenly  Father's  heart  is 
fixed  upon  the  same  thing  and  what  He  has  done  to 
make  it  possible. 

******* 

I  have  been  thinking  of  your  life  and  mine,  dear 
friend,  and  of  what  it  may  become,  if  only  we  will 
work  along  heartily  with  God  toward  its  develop- 
ment; and  what  our  homes  may  be,  and  what  our 
communities  may  be  made,  under  these  conditions. 
I  do  not  mean  in  the  way  of  material  prosperity  *  * 
so  much,  as  of  larger  and  nobler  characters,  and 
ways  of  life  more  complete  and  worthier  of  God's 
children. 


January  2. 

AND  with  this,  there  has  come  a  great  longing 
that,  during  the  year  before  us,  we  may  aim 
more    steadily    for    that   which    in    our    best 
moments  seems  worthiest  of  effort;   that  we  may 
avoid  whatever  threatens  injury  to  ourselves  or  to 
our  neighbors. 

That  we  heartily  labor  for  that  which  promises 
to  make  our  own  life,  or  theirs,  richer  in  good 
deeds  and  sweeter  in  experience. 

It  will  help  towards  this,  if  we  bring  every  matter 
to  the  test  of  conscience.  It  will  make  our  task 
easier  if  we  go  to  the  Bible  for  instruction  and 
stimulus. 

Above  all,  prayer  for  our  Heavenly  Father's  help 
will  bring  His  strength  to  our  support. 


These   with   prayer   for   faithfulness   will   surely 
issue  in  abundant  life.    May  God  grant  it  to  us  all. 

May  you,  my  friend,  fully  realize  what  life  may 
be  to  you. 

All  this  goes  forth  as  prayer  as  I  wish  you  and 
yours 

"A  Happy  New  Year." 


Because  thou  hnst  made  the  Lord,  which  is  my  refuge, 
oven  the  most  High,  thy  habitation;  There  shall  no  evil 
befall  thee,  neither  shall  any  plague  come  nigh  thy  dwelling. 
For  he  shall  give  his  angels  charge  over  thee,  to  keep 
thee  in  all  thy  ways. — Ps.  91:9,10,11. 


Because  he  hath  set  his  love  upon  me,  therefore  will  1 
deliver  him:  I  will  set  him  on  high  because  he  hath  known 
my  name. 

He  shall  call  upon  me  and  I  will  answer  him:  I  will  be 
with  him  in  trouble:  I  will  deliver  him  and  honour  him. 

With  long  life  will  I  satisfy  him  and  shew  him  my 
salvation. — Ps.  91:14,15,16. 


January  3. 


ELIZABETH   NICHOLS   TOLMAN 

Born  1792;  died  1837. 

Mrs.   Mills'   mother. 

From  the    "Daily  Food"    texts  of  Miss  Julia  Tolman, 
dated   1838. 

I  am  the  Lord  thy  God  which  teacheth  thee  to  profit, 
which  leadeth  thee  by  the  way  that  thou  shouldst  go. — 
Isaiah  38:17. 

Guide  me,  O  thou  great  Jehovah, 
Pilgrim  through  this  barren  land; 

I  am  weak,  but  thou  are  mighty, 
Hold  me  by  thy  powerful  hand. 

Thou  shalt  guide  me  with  Thy  counsel,  and  afterwards 
receive  me  to  glory. — Psalm  73 :24. 

The  Birthday  of  Our  Dear  Mother. 


IN  1818,  ELIZABETH  NICHOLS  wrought  most  ex- 
quisitely, a  sampler  which  is  now  framed  and 
hanging   in    Mrs.    Mills'    living-room    at    Mills 
College. 

The  lettering  in  fine  cross-stitch  on  sheerest  bolt- 
ing cloth,  is  of  the  alphabet  in  three  designs  fol- 
lowed by  the  family  record. 

The  encircling  scrolls  of  flowers  beautifully  em- 
broidered in  silk  of  the  now-called  pastel  shades, 
show  that  both  Mrs.  Mills  and  Miss  Tolman  might 
well  have  inherited  their  tendencies  toward  artistic 
taste  and  love  for  the  beautiful. 

It  will  be  worth  the  while  of  those  who  have  not 
seen  this  sampler  to  ask  to  see  it  when  next  they 
go  to  Mills  College. 

When  Elizabeth  Nichols  Tolman  was  on  her 
death-bed,  her  last  request  was  that  her  six  daugh- 
ters should  go  to  Mt.  Holyoke  as  pupils  of  Mary 
Lyon.  She  had  followed  with  interest  the  effort  of 
this  noble  woman  in  behalf  of  the  education  of 
young  women  of  New  England. 

Mt.  Holyoke  was  opened  the  year  of  her  death, 
1837. 


January  4. 


She  riseth  also  while  it  is  yet  night,  and  giveth  meat 
to  her  household.  She  stretcheth  out  her  hand  to  the  poor; 
yea,  she  reacheth  forth  her  hands  to  the  needy. 

She  openeth  her  mouth  with  wisdom  and  in  her  tongue 
is  the  law  of  kindness. 

She  looketh  well  to  the  ways  of  her  household  and 
eateth  not  the  bread  of  idleness. 

Her  children  arise  up  and  call  her  blessed. 

Many  daughters  have  done  virtuously  but  thou  excellest 
them  all. 

Favour  is  deceitful  and  beauty  is  vain;  but  a  woman 
that  feareth  the  Lord,  she  shall  be  praised. 

Give  her  of  the  fruit  of  her  hands,  and  let  her  own 
works  praise  her  in  the  gates. — Prov.  31:15,  20,  26-31. 


SUSAN  LINCOLN  TOLMAN  was  the  child  of  a 
long  and  honorable  line  of  those  who  ventured 
much    in    behalf   of   their   faith;     those    who 
would  travel  far  and  suffer  much  to  "seek  a  faith's 
pure  shrine,"  and  she  was  ever  true  to  her  heritage. 

It  was  not  due  to  belonging  to  a  pioneer  genera- 
tion that  Mrs.  Mills  herself  became  a  pioneer,  for 
there  were  opportunities  for  a  quiet  and  easeful 
living  in  her  girlhood  and  throughout  her  long  life, 
but  her  life  habit  was  due  to  the  spirit  which  filled 
her. 

We  have  heard  her  praised  and  have  rejoiced  to 
think  that  she  was  receiving  a  small  part  of  her 
due;  but  it  takes  the  ear  of  faith  to  hear  the  praise 
which  she  now  has  received,  yet  the  ear  of  our 
faith  hears  it  very  plainly,  indeed:  "Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant;  enter  thou  into  the  joy 
of  thy  Lord." 


January  5. 

MBS.  MILLS 

WHEN  first  we  met, 
My   timid   hand   with   warm    and    knotted 
hand  she  pressed. 

Behind  her  glasses'  rim  shone  dark  her  glowing  eyes. 
' '  She  loves  me, ' '  sang  my  leaping  heart  within  my 

breast 

In  glad  surprise, 
When  first  we  met. 

But  passing  Time  admonished,  "Thoughtless  Child, 
She  loves  you,  but  not  for  yourself  alone. 
'Twas  all  young  womanhood  on  whom  she  smiled; 
Whose  hand  she  pressed;  for  whom  her  dark  eyes 

shone." 
True  womanhood;  good  womanhood;  her  life  work 

and  her  pride; 
Ideal  womanhood;   for  which  she  toiled  and  lived 

and  died. 

Some   fault   reproved,   my  dimmed   eyes  could   not 

meet 

The  fires  that  flashed  behind  the  glasses'  rim. 
"She  hates  me!  "  stormed  my  heart's  resentful  beat. 
But  decades  gliding  to  the  past,  of  shadows  dim, 
Reveal  the  flattery  that  lures  unto  a  fall, 
And  honeyed  words,  that  tasted,  turn  to  bitter  gall. 
Not  hers  such  treachery!     Her  fledglings'  wayward 

flight 

She  hastened,  led,  compelled  into  the  paths  of  right. 
Good  womanhood;  true  womanhood;  her  life  work 

and  her  pride; 
Ideal  womanhood;  for  which  she  toiled  and  lived 

and  died. 

JESSIE  NORTON  AXELL,    '91. 
January,  1915. 


January  6. 

IN  that  longest  chapter  of  the  Bible,  Psalm  119, 
every  verse  of  its  one  hundred  seventy-six  re- 
ferring in  some  way  to  the  Word  of  God,  we 
read  in  verse  105,  "Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my 
feet  and  a  light  unto  my  path." 

There  is  no  passage  in  the  Bible  that  is  more 
connected  in  my  mind  with  Mrs.  Mills  than  the  one 
just  quoted. 

I  remember  she  impressed  it  upon  my  recollection 
by  describing  the  narrow  paths  of  the  Orient,  and 
said  that  the  many  serpents  and  the  vermin  so 
infested  these  paths  that  the  natives  wore  little 
lamps  on  their  shoes  to  light  their  way  and  thus 
keep  them  from  its  otherwise  unseen  dangers. 


Mrs.  Mills  was  at  her  best  in  the  years  I  knew 
her.  I  vividly  recall  two  striking  characteristics 
which  made  a  great  impression  upon  me  the  first 
time  I  met  her,  and  which  never  failed  to  impress 
me  more  and  more  as  the  days  and  the  years  went 
on:  They  were  her  quickness  of  motion  and  ex- 
treme alertness  of  mind. 

She  seemed  to  take  in  everything  at  a  glance  in 
a  marvelous  way. 

It  was  a  rare  gift  and  had  much  to  do  with  her 
wonderful  personal  power. 

"My  Faith  Looks  up  to  Thee"  and  "I  Need 
Thee  Every  Hour"  were  two  of  her  favorite  hymns. 

She  lived  a  great  life. 


How  sweet  are  thy  words  unto  my  taste  1  yea,  sweeter 
than  honey  to  my  mouth  1 

Through  thy  precepts  I  get  understanding:  therefore  I 
hate  every  false  way. 

Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet  and  a  light  unto  my 
path. — Ps.  119:103-105. 


January  7. 


Understanding    is    a    well-spring    of    life    unto    him    that 
hath  it. — Prov.  16:22. 


THE  coming  of  Mrs.  Mills  to  Honolulu  became 
a  tremendous  impetus  in  my  life.  Devoted  as 
I  had  been  to  President  and  Professor 
Beckwith,  who  had  been  my  instructors  since  I 
was  ten,  the  coming  of  a  lady  into  my  school  life 
was  a  revelation. 

Naturally  she  came  in  closer  touch  at  any  and  all 
times  than  any  professor  could,  and  it  was  not 
merely  the  mental  stimulus  in  the  prescribed  course 
of  studies  then  pursued,  but  an  influence  that 
affected  everything  else. 

Hawaii  was  not  then  in  touch  with  the  world  as 
now.  There  were  few  distractions  and  little  variety 
in  the  regular  routines  of  life  which  were  always 
happy  and  wholesome;  but  when  just  out  of  the 
realm  of  arithmetic,  geography  and  grammar,  to  be 
introduced  into  that  of  "Beginnings"  of  language, 
rhetoric,  literature;  to  algebra,  Latin,  history,  com- 
position, music,  and  writing,  with  ever  the  incen- 
tive to  go  on  and  on — up  the  ladder  of  learning  and 
general  achievement,  the  experience  was  profound 
and  all-possessing. 

Mrs.  Mills'  personal  influence  in  every  line  con- 
tinued ever  to  stimulate  endeavor,  understanding, 
judgment,  and  decision. 

It  was  always  a  joy  to  attempt  whatever  she 
suggested,  knowing  an  undreamed  of  reward  was 
before  us. 

She  has  left  behind  her,  unwritten  histories  of 
struggles  and  faint-heartedness  that  blossomed  into 
courage  and  power  as  the  years  have  passed: 

Of  friendships  encouraged  from  timid  beginnings, 
that  now  stand  as  pillars  of  strength  and  force 
uniting  lands  far  and  near. 

The  years  of  her  life  hold  thousands  of  witnesses 
to  stand  for  her  "life-work."  Their  unwritten 
chronicles  would  but  swell  this  brief  testimony  into 
volumes  of  proof. 

I  will  bring  the  blind  by  a  way  that  they  know  not;  I 
will  lead  them  in  paths  that  they  have  not  known;  I  _will 
make  darkness  light  before  them,  and  crooked  things 
straight.  These  things  will  I  do  unto  them,  and  not  for- 
sake them. — Isaiah  42:16. 


January  8. 

Whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest, 
whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatsoever  things  are  pure, 
whatsoever  things  are  lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good 
report;  if  there  he  any  virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise, 
think  on  these  things. — Phil.  4:8. 


AGKEATER  movement  than  Mills  College  exists 
to  glorify  this  noble  woman's  life  and  his- 
tory— the  thousands  of  girls  she  sent  forth 
into  the  world  equipped  with  the  arts  and  graces  of 
true  womanhood. 

They  know.  It  requires  no  printed  word,  no 
oratorical  flourish  to  impress  upon  her  graduates 
the  great  benefits  Susan  Mills  conferred  in  her  life- 
time. And  in  the  years  to  come,  the  daughters  of 
these  graduates,  when  abiding  at  Mills  College  and 
following  in  their  mothers'  footsteps  along  the 
paths  of  learning  there,  will  do  well  to  pause  at  the 
tomb  of  Susan  L.  Mills  and  reflect  upon  her  great- 
ness and  goodness. 

It  ought  to  inspire  them  to  live  lives  of  purity 
and  nobility  of  mind  and  soul. 


January  9. 

ALL  my  life  I  have  known  Mrs.  Mills  personally 
and  by  reputation.     My  earliest  recollection 
of  her  dates  from  the  time  when  she  returned 
from   India   with   Mr.   Mills.      I   looked   upon   Mrs. 
Mills  with  the  awe  a  child  of  that  date  regarded 
returned  missionaries. 

My  knowledge  of  her  is  chiefly  as  hostess  and 
guest.  We  made  Mills  College  headquarters  in  our 
visits  to  California  in  1878  and  1894,  and  also  enter- 
tained Mrs.  Mills  on  several  occasions  during  her 
trips  East. 

What  impressed  me  most  was  her  hospitality, 
her  generosity,  and  her  untiring  energy. 

Miss  Tolman,  who  was  of  such  different  tem- 
perament, called  it  "restlessness." 

As  a  guest  she  needed  only  freedom  to  come  and 
go,  and  as  she  knew  so  many  people  in  Ware,  the 
home  of  her  girlhood,  there  was  always  something 
to  demand  her  time  and  interest.  *  *  * 

She  acknowledged  to  being  impulsive  and  missing 
her  husband's  restraining  influence.  This  impul- 
siveness often  led  to  incorrect  first  impressions. 

She  was  a  true  friend  to  those  whose  'adoption 
has  been  tried,'  and  "grappled  them  to  her  soul 
with  hooks  of  steel." 


January  10. 

But  my  God  shall  supply  all  your  need. — Phil.  4:19. 


A  GIRL  of  quiet   nature,  I  did   not   come  into 
many  personal  relationships  with  Mrs.  Mills. 
Her  influence  over  us  all  was  perfectly  beau- 
tiful.     She    always    exercised    such    motherly    care 
that  T  grew  to  love  her  very  dearly.     None  of  the 
girls  of  '09  seemed  to  have  any  other  feeling  than 
love  for  her.     She  always  took  an  interest  in  our 
welfare  and  we  felt  honored  by  her  personal  interest 
in  us. 

Shortly  after  I  had  been  sick  for  a  couple  of 
weeks,  Mrs.  Mills  met  me  in  the  Assembly  Room 
of  Mills  Hall  and  asked  how  I  was.  I  answered 
that  I  was  feeling  good.  She  told  me  that  I  should 
not  say  "good"  but  "well." 

I  shall  never  forget  that  use  of  the  two  words, 
for  I  was  so  greatly  impressed  that  among  the 
many  different  things  Mrs.  Mills  had  to  do  and 
think  of,  she  should  have  taken  sufficient  notice 
that  I  had  misused  the  words  as  to  spare  time  to 
tell  me  about  them. 

She  seemed  to  be  one  of  our  class  she  was  so 
interested  in  everything  we  did,  and  because  she 
so  loved  her  girls  she  seemed  to  be  always  young. 
This  seems  a  slight  tribute,  but  in  every  thought 
there  is  love  for  Mrs.  Mills. 


January  11. 

THE  recollections  of  one  who  knew  Mrs.  Mills 
before  she  came  to  California,  at  Punahou, 
Hawaiian  Islands. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  were  in  charge  of  "Oahu 
College,"  and  her  pupils  of  that  time  will  never 
forget  how  interesting  she  made  the  studies  over 
which  she  presided,  especially  those  in  the  natural 
sciences. 

She  had  such  a  gift  for  teaching  as  to  waken 
the  enthusiasm  of  her  pupils;  she  used  so  many 
illustrations  and  experiments  their  interest  was 
constantly  aroused.  In  those  days  of  no  laboratory 
equipment,  the  apparatus  was  of  her  own  ingenious 
arrangement.  I  remember  once  an  explosion  of 
hydrogen  gas  during  an  illustrative  experiment  and 
how  startled  she  looked  for  an  instant,  then  with 
utmost  composure,  continued  her  explanation  and 
showed  just  how  the  explosion  happened  and  why. 

I  can  see  her  as  she  moved  about  the  building, 
quick  as  a  flash  and  apparently  everywhere  at  once; 
first  in  one  place  and  then  in  another,  seeing  every- 
thing; nothing  escaped  her.  Every  boy  and  girl 
in  that  institution  felt  her  influence  and  that  of 
Mr.  Mills,  and  when  they  moved  to  California  we 
were  left  with  a  sense  of  having  suffered  a  great 
loss. 

A  pleasant  picture  comes  before  me  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mills  on  horseback  starting  out  on  one  of 
their  trips  around  Oahu  from  Punahou.  How  erect 
she  sat  and  how  trim  her  lithe  figure! 


January  12. 

AFTEBWAED  at  Benicia  Seminary,  her  presence 
was  the  same  and  she  seemed  to  throw  her 
whole  soul  into   ways   for  improving  condi- 
tions and — persons. 

She  took  pains  to  become  intimately  acquainted 
with  each  girl;  thus  she  would  be  sought  for  help 
and  advice  on  all  occasions,  and  she  always  seemed 
to  have  time  for  it  all.  How  she  could  was  a 
mystery,  for  the  things  she  had  to  attend  to  were 
endless  and  constant — but  she  was  always  ac- 
cessible. 

She  usually  had  a  short  talk  for  the  girls  every 
morning  after  the  morning  devotions  and  before 
they  separated  for  classes;  the  numerous  practical 
subjects  that  were  presented  were  most  helpful. 

She  always  remembered  her  old  scholars  and  kept 
her  interest  in  them  long  after  they  had  passed 
from  under  her  direct  influence,  and  was  really 
concerned  when  she  lost  sight  of  one  and  could  not 
learn  of  her  whereabouts. 


The  wisdom  that  is  from  above  is  first  pure,  then  peace- 
able, gentle  and  easy  to  be  entreated,  fall  of  mercy  and 
good  fruits  without  partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy. — 
James  3:17. 


January  13. 

IT   is  a   picture   of   the   arrival   at   Young  Ladies 
Seminary,    Benicia,    in    1865,    of    two    visitors, 
strangers,  whose  coming  was  fraught  with  im- 
mense importance  to   every  inmate  of  the  institu- 
tion.    They  were  not  ordinary  visitors,  one  could 
tell  that  at  a  glance,  for  their  faces  bore  evidence 
of  sojourn  in  tropical  lands  and  their  conversation 
was  replete  with  stirring  incidents  and  anecdotes 
that  bespoke  the  world  traveler,  who  was  a  rarer 
personage  in  those  days  than  now. 

Soon  we,  the  students  and  the  Faculty  of  the 
Seminary,  gathered  enough  out  of  which  to  weave  a 
lovely  romance  about  the  lady,  who  as  a  young  girl 
had  left  Mount  Holyoke  with  graduation  honors,  to 
become  the  bride  of  the  young  minister  from 
Williams  College,  and  go  with  him  to  far-away 
India  to  engage  in  missionary  work. 

Was  it  strange  that  no  passing  curiosity  became 
lively  interest,  as  we  noted  their  own  absorbing 
attention  to  the  minutest  detail  of  Seminary  work? 
Doubtless  we  were  prepared  in  a  way  for  the  un- 
expected which  soon  came  in  an  announcement 
from  Miss  Atkins  that  she  had  sold  the  school — 
our  school,  for  so  we  loved  it! — to  Doctor  and  Mrs. 
Cyrus  T.  Mills. 

A  Seminary  is  a  little  world  in  itself,  and  for  a 
few  days  ours  seemed  torn  by  some  great  convulsion 
of  nature,  so  disturbed  were  we  over  the  uncertainty 
and  the  parting.  Fortunately  for  us,  with  the  sad- 
ness of  parting  from  one  who  had  held  a  supreme 
place  in  our  affections  was  mingled  joy  for  her,  for 
we  knew  that  the  change  meant  future  home  happi- 
ness. 


January  14. 

MR.  AND  MRS.  MILLS  from  the  first  gave  all 
their  interest,  energy  and  means  to  the  work 
they  had  set  about  to  accomplish.     It  was 
a  glorious  thing  to  do,  but  it  meant  for  them  the 
giving  up  of  all  personal  aims  for  the  one  great 
purpose — the  higher  education   of  young  women — 
(and  at  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  State  when 
the  same  power  or  ability  directed  toward  selfish 
aims    would    have    made    Mr.    Mills    one    of    the 
monied  kings  of  the  western  coast). 

It  meant  also,  for  these  two,  thinking  and  living 
in  a  work  of  development  for  others  "when  giving 
was  better  than  getting,"  and  stooping  to  serve, 
better  than  climbing  to  heights  of  personal  ambi- 
tion and  ease. 

Hand  in  hand  with  perfect  understanding  and 
singleness  of  purpose,  *  *  *  these  two  planned  and 
executed.  Infinite  toil,  patience,  and  love  have 
cemented  every  part  of  the  work.  Since  Mr.  Mills' 
death,  as  we  have  watched  the  rare  courage  of  soul, 
the  fidelity  of  aim  with  which  a  woman,  single- 
handed,  has  borne  the  burden  of  the  work  onward 
toward  completion,  we  have  been  lost  in  wonder  and 
admiration. 

We  have  known  her  continuous  sacrifice,  we  have 
known  her  great  glad  joy  in  giving  and  doing,  her 
tender  loving  mother  heart,  and  we  rejoice  that  in 
response  to  all  this,  women  in  every  part  of  the 
world  rise  up  and  call  her — "blessed." 

She  has  given  to  her  children,  the  Alumnae  of 
the  school,  and  to  the  women  of  California,  an 
inheritance  whose  value  cannot  be  measured.  She 
bids  us  pass  it  on  a  priceless  heritage  to  our  chil- 
dren's children. 


January  15. 


But  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy.  peace,  long- 
suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meekness,  temper- 
ance.— Gal.  5:22-23. 


IN  the    Benicia    days    the   building   was    old,    not 
very   convenient,   and   a   trifle    shabby,   but   to 
some  of  us  who  were  students  there  but  lived 
far   away,   it   was   home   as   well   as   school.      The 
writer  well  remembers  saying  one  day,  "My  vaca- 
tion is  almost  over  and  in  two  weeks  I  shall  be 
going  home  again."    With  a  loving  half-  reproach- 
ful look,  she  said,  "Child,  isn't  this  your  home?" 


It  is  important  to  add  that  wherever  the  Mills 
Seminary  girls  have  wandered  or  established  them- 
selves in  homes,  grand  or  simple,  there  they  have 
maintained  a  high  standard  of  womanhood,  and 
made  the  quiet  walks  of  life  purer  and  happier  by 
their  example. 

An  unsought  and  unexpected  tribute  was  paid  by 
a  prominent  educator  to  the  training  received  here, 
when  two  Alumnae  sisters  of  S  '03,  were  traveling 
in  Europe  under  his  leadership. 

This  college  professor  said:  "When  I  became 
acquainted  with  Mrs.  B.  and  Miss  E.  I  remarked 
to  my  wife  that  I  was  certain  that  they  had  re- 
ceived their  education  in  some  smaller  college  for 
women,  as  there  is  always  a  touch  of  femininity 
about  those  young  women  from  smaller  colleges  that 
is  lacking  in  those  who  have  passed  only  thro'  the 
larger  co-educational  institutions." 


January  16. 


Casting  all  your  care  upon  Him;  for  he  careth  for  you. 
I.  Peter  5:7. 


1AM   glad  to   refer   to   numerous  Scriptural  pas- 
sages which  bear  record  of  my  days  at  Mills 
and  which  have  been  very  helpful  in  my  later 
life.     (These  references  are  given  under  dates    of 
August  2  and  October  30,  except  such  as  are  used 
for  texts  on  various  other  pages. — C.  K.  W.) 

Mrs.  Mills  frequently  read  these  chapters  at 
Prayers  and  the  verses  were  most  wonderfully  used 
in  the  beautiful  prayers  she  gave.  No  prayers  ever 
given  had  more  effect  upon  my  thought  than  those 
by  dear  Mrs.  Mills. 

When  encouraging  those  who  were  to  take  part 
in  public  exercises,  the  concerts,  etc.,  she  never 
failed  to  point  them  to  the  true  source  of  power. 
II.  Tim.  1:7.  "For  God  hath  not  given  us  the 
spirit  of  fear:  but  of  power  and  of  love  and  of  a 
sound  mind."  Also  James  1:5  and  I.  Peter  5:7. 

Mrs.  Mills '  deep  interest  in  all  our  personal  affairs 
was  often  revealed  in  referring  to  circumstances 
one  would  think  had  long  since  left  her  thought. 
She  remembered  details  about  everything  connected 
with  one's  life  and  its  interests. 

After  I  had  left  my  work  in  the  public  school 
she  frequently  inquired  about  several  wayward  boys 
who  were  in  my  fifth  grade  the  first  year  I  taught 
school.  Her  kindly  interest  in  their  development 
was  so  characteristic  of  her  love  for  children  and 
fond  hopes  for  their  spiritual  growth  and  progress. 


January  17. 

WHEN  Mrs.  Mills  visited  me  in  Honolulu,  at 
the  time  my  little  Dorothy  was  three  years 
old,  Dorothy  addressed  her  as  "Mrs.  Mills 
College."     Mrs.  Mills  enjoyed  her  new  name  and 
her  keen  and  appreciative  humor  caused  her  to  re- 
member this  years  after. 

Altho'  for  so  long  associated  with  older  girls, 
she  had  a  great  love  for,  and  was  exceedingly  sym- 
pathetic with  small  children.  My  little  girl,  in- 
stinctively, loved  her  at  once. 

During  the  eight  happy  years  I  spent  at  Mills, 
Mrs.  Mills  never  addressed  me  in  a  "fault-finding" 
way.  Any  reproof  was  given  in  a  kind,  motherly 
spirit.  I  can  remember  her  taking  hold  of  my  arm 
one  Sunday  afternoon,  and  saying  just  as  a  mother 
might,  ' '  This  is  altogether  too  thin  a  dress,  my 
dear  child.  Change  it  at  once!"  But  my  memory 
can  recall  no  harsh  words  spoken  to  me. 

I  shall  always  cherish,  as  one  of  the  dearest 
memories  of  my  life  the  days  which  I  and  my  little 
daughter,  Dorothy,  spent  with  Mrs.  Mills  at  the 
College  the  year  before  she  passed  away.  Gentle, 
loving,  tender-hearted,  sympathetic,  she  was  a  true 
mother  to  us  both  and  gave  us  both  a  mother's 
"welcome  home."  Whatever  of  sternness  had  been 
hers  as  a  college  president  had  vanished,  and  there 
remained,  this  last  year,  over  and  above  all,  the 
mother  spirit  of  a  loving,  consecrated  woman. 


January  18. 

The   entrance   of   thy   words   giveth   light. — Pa.   119:180. 


I    THINK    that    my    best   loved    memory   of   Mrs. 
Mills  during  my  years  as  a  student  is  the  pic- 
ture   of   her    at    Evening   Prayers   reading   the 
Bible  verses  that  she  loved  so  well. 

I  can  see  her  now  as  she  would  pause  for  a 
moment,  then  look  up  from  the  book  and  earnestly 
tell  us  of  some  personal  experience  and  of  how 
she  had  found  her  Heavenly  Father  an  ever-present 
help.  One  of  the  oftenest-quoted  Bible  passages 
was:  "God  is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a  very 
present  help  in  trouble." 

The  one  hundred  twenty-first  Psalm  she  read 
again  and  again,  likewise  the  ninety-first.  When 
I  hear  these  Psalms  now  my  thoughts  turn  at  once 
to  Mrs.  Mills  and  I  can  hear  her  reading  them  as 
I  never  expect  to  hear  them  read  again — so  beau- 
tifully and  in  a  manner  all  her  own. 


God  is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present  help  in 
trouble. 

Therefore  will  not  we  fear,  though  the  earth  be  removed 
and  though  the  mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst  of 
the  sea; 

Though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled,  though 
the  mountains  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof. — Psalm 
46:1-3. 


I 


January  19. 

N  Seminary  Hall,  at  Morning  Prayers,  one  of 
of  her  petitions  was  that  her  "daughters 
might  be  as  corner-stones." 

A  characteristic  of  Mrs.  Mills  that  impressed 
itself  upon  me  was  her  constant  oversight  over 
every  department  of  the  Seminary — she  seemed  to 
be  omnipresent. 

During  my  Senior  Middle  year,  it  was  my  province 
to  attend  the  front  door  when  visitors  called.  As 
all  visitors  were  first  to  be  reported  to  her,  I  learned 
the  quickest  way  to  find  Mrs.  Mills  was  to  stand 
at  the  foot  of  the  middle  stairway  and  she  almost 
invariably  soon  came  from  some  direction — either 
from  the  dining-room,  or  her  own  private  rooms, 
down  the  stairs,  or  from  some  classroom  or  Sem- 
inary Hall,  on  her  way  to  look  after  some  other 
department. 

She  was  personally  interested  in  the  welfare  of 
her  girls,  dropping  into  their  rooms  at  any  time 
during  day  or  evening,  always  and  everywhere  un- 
tiring and  alert. 


Thou   wilt    keep    him    in   perfect   peace,    whose   mind    in 
stayed  on  thee;   because  he  trust eth  in  thee. — Isaiah  26:3. 


Great  peace  have  they  which  love  thy  law:   and  nothing 
•hall  offend  them. — Ps.   119:165. 


A 


January  20. 

N   incident   that   called   forth   a   talk   on   self- 
control. 


During  the  dinner-hour  one  day,  one  of  the 
Chinese  boys  let  fall  the  pile  of  plates  he  was  car- 
rying from  one  of  the  tables.  Of  course,  there  was 

a   great    crash   and   Lottie   A screamed  and 

jumped  from  her  seat  (those  who  knew  Lottie  will 
remember  how  nervous  she  was),  so  that  some  of 
the  girls  became  excited.  I  looked  at  Mrs.  Mills. 
She  was  as  calm  and  undisturbed  as  though  nothing 
had  happened. 

This  incident  gave  occasion  for  a  talk  in  Sem- 
inary Hall  upon  self-control,  which  has  had  a  lasting 
influence  upon  me. 

On  one  occasion  when  Mrs.  Mills  was  at  our 
home  in  Oakland,  she  became  so  interested  in  a 
little  monkey  we  had  that  he  was  sent  to  her  and 
she  had  him  in  her  back  room.  It  was  not  generally 
known  among  the  girls  that  Mrs.  Mills  had  a  pet 
monkey.  One  evening  after  supper,  when  the  gen- 
eral promenade  was  taking  place  up  and  down  the 
main  hall,  that  monkey  escaped  from  his  confine- 
ment, ran  up  the  private  hall  from  Mrs.  Mills' 
sitting-room  and  appeared  around  the  corner  just 
as  the  head  of  the  procession  came  up. 

With  screams  of  fright  those  girls  turned  and 
rushed  into  the  others,  causing  great  excitement. 
Fortunately  I  was  near,  and  knowing  the  cause, 
secured  master  monkey,  but  those  leading  girls 
who  saw  him  thought  he  was  a  veritable  imp  of 
Satan  and  in  pursuit  of  them. 


January  21. 

WHEN  Mrs.   Mills  and   Miss  Tolman  were  on 
a  visit  East  in  comparatively  recent  years, 
Maria    Gardner,    now   Mrs.   Helen    Scoville, 
gave    a   reception    for   them    at    her   Fifth    avenue 
school,  New  York. 

I  went  from  Lancaster,  and  stopped  with  Fannie 
Eouse  Carpenter.  Mrs.  Mills  and  Miss  Tolman 
were  with  her  also.  In  fact,  Mrs.  Mills  went  with 
Fannie  to  meet  me  at  the  station  at  nine  o'clock 
in  the  evening. 

At  breakfast  on  the  day  of  the  reception,  Mrs. 
Mills  announced  that  she  wished  to  visit  the  Hall 
of  Fame  that  morning.  Miss  Goulding,  too,  was 
there.  So  we  all  started  off  and  tripped  way  out 
to  180th  street,  tramped  about,  Mrs.  Mills  leading, 
until  we  were  tired  enough  to  return  home.  Fannie 
said  that  Mrs.  Mills  had  tired  her  out  the  day 
before  in  going  about.  Then  in  the  afternoon  she 
stood  for  a  long  time  receiving  guests. 

I  relate  this  incident  to  emphasize  her  untiring 
activity. 

Mrs.  Mills  put  her  whole  heart  and  soul  into  her 
work,  and  served  her  day  and  generation  well. 
Many  are  the  women  of  our  land  who  "will  rise  up 
and  call  her  blessed,"  and  I  am  one  of  them. 


I 


January  22. 

AM  one  of  those  whose  thought  of  Mrs.  Mills 
is  very  tender,  and  who  admired  and  appre- 
ciated her  in  life. 


In  my  Senior  year  I  was  wonderfully  impressed 
by  Mrs.  Mills'  varied  ability  and  marvelous  quick- 
ness of  thought  and  action. 

I  recall  her  exquisite  reading  of  ' '  Sir  Launf al  's 
Vision, ' '  especially,  ' '  What  is  so  rare  as  a  day  in 
June,"  as  I  have  never  heard  it  rendered  either 
before  or  since. 

She  selected  and  read  to  us  the  choicest  bits  from 
books  we  would  not  readily  select  for  ourselves; 
selections  that  had  a  quickening,  stimulating  in- 
fluence upon  our  minds  through  her  enthusiasm  in 
rendition. 

She  would  be  called  from  our  class  in  Natural 
Theology,  first  to  meet  visitors  and  decide  an  im- 
portant question,  then  to  the  kitchen  where  trouble 
had  arisen,  meeting  the  emergency  by  superintend- 
ing the  making  of  bread  for  her  great  family;  then 
returning  to  the  recitation,  ascertain  by  quick 
questioning  the  preparation  made  by  every  one  of 
that  large  class. 

Since  my  own  school  days,  it  has  been  my  wonder 
and  admiration  to  note  how  wisely  she  kept  in 
touch  with  all  advance  in  modern  methods  of 
thought. 


January  23. 


There   is   no   fear  in  love:    but  perfect  love   casteth   out 
fear. — I.  John  4:18. 


AS  I  am   cast  for  the  role   of  "looking  back- 
ward," you  will  be  patient  if  I  indulge  in  a 
few  reminiscences  which  an  irreverent  wag 
once  called  "rummy  nuisances." 

My  first  interest  in  the  present  Mills  College 
was  awakened  one  day  when  Mrs.  Mills  slipped 
her  arm  through  mine  as  we  walked  in  the  little 
garden  of  Benicia  Seminary  and  told  me  that  Mr. 
Mills  had  just  completed  the  purchase  of  a  tract  of 
land  six  miles  from  Oakland,  on  which,  during  the 
coming  year,  a  suitable  building  would  be  put  up 
and  the  Seminary  would  be  moved  to  a  new  loca- 
tion. I  was  greatly  impressed  by  this  important 
piece  of  news  conveyed  to  me  in  confidence. 

A  few  weeks  before  my  class  graduated  we  went 
to  San  Francisco  to  have  our  class  picture  taken, 
and  the  next  morning  at  nine  o  'clock  the  whole 
class,  numbering  seventeen,  met  Mr.  Mills  at  the 
foot  of  Market  street  en  route  to  Broadway,  Oak- 
land. Here  we  found  large  conveyances  waiting 
to  carry  us  to  this  property. 

Our  spirits  were  in  tune  with  the  surroundings. 
Like  Pippa,  we  might  have  sung,  "God's  in  His 
Heaven,  all's  right  with  the  world,"  for  we  were 
then  in  life's  springtime  and  we  gave  full  ex- 
pression to  our  feelings  of  joy  as  we  sang  along 
the  way  until  we  reached  this  spot,  which  con- 
tained then,  a  few  fine  old  oaks,  a  shabby  farm- 
house, an  uninteresting  family,  and  a  few  cows. 


January  24. 


The  eternal   God   is  thy  refuge,   and  underneath  are  th« 
everlasting  arms. — Deut.  33:27. 


1    SHALL  never  forget,  of  course,  my  dear  Mills' 
days — seven  years  of  them!     A  period  of  seven 
years  in  the  most  impressionable  time  of  one's 
life  is  not  easily  forgotten.     During  all  that  time 
Mrs.   Mills  was  my  guardian,  so  I  came  to  know 
her  very  closely,  having  to  consult  her  as  I  did  on 
all  matters  that  pertained  to  me  personally. 

At  first  she  seemed  to  be  a  little  stern,  but  as  I 
gradually  grew  to  know  her  and  realized  how  deeply 
she  was  concerned  in  all  my  affairs,  I  could  but 
grow  to  love  her. 

I  also  found  that  perfect  frankness,  even  in  the 
confessing  of  a  fault,  and  sincerity  were  the  things 
that  appealed  to  her  most  in  a  girl 's  character. 
And  it  was  after  the  confession  of  some  prank, 
hard  as  it  was  to  come  up  to  it,  that  a  perfect  under- 
standing was  created  between  us. 

I  was  at  "Mills"  during  a  very  trying  epoch 
in  its  history.  One  in  authority  had  created  great 
trouble.  I  shall  never  forget  the  patience,  the 
firmness,  the  hope  and  confidence  that  the  right 
would  win  and  that  assurance  of  ' '  God 's  in  His 
Heaven,  all's  right  in  His  world"  that  showed 
forth  in  her  life.  And  when  the  suspense  was  over 
how  she  felt  drawn  to  those  who  stood  by  her. 

The  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life,  of  whom  shall  I 
be  afraid) — Psalm  27:1. 


January  25. 

SUCH   a  frightened   girl   as  I  was  when  I  first 
entered  the  Study  Hall  at  Benicia!     A   gen- 
uine   country   girl    with    all    a    country   girl's 
determination  to  do  or  die. 

But  I  "did  it"  in  my  very  first  recitation.  It 
was  English  History  under  our  dear  Miss  Wilson. 
She  called  on  me  to  recite,  mercifully,  a  short  topic 
on  one  of  the  early  English  kings,  who,  mercifully 
for  me  also,  had  a  very  short  reign.  I  thought  I 
acquitted  myself  very  well,  but  at  recess,  Belle  H., 
a  member  of  the  class,  asked,  "Do  you  know  what 
you  said  in  your  recitation  of  that  king?  That  he 
died  in  the  fourth  year  of  his  age  and  the  nineteenth 
year  of  his  reign."  I  was  amazed,  and  replied: 
"But  no  one  laughed.  If  I  said  that,  why  did  no 
one  laugh  ?  "  "  Because  you  are  a  new  girl, ' '  was 
the  answer.  "If  you  had  been  an  old  one  we  would 
have  shouted." 

There  was  the  key-note  sounded  in  the  character 
the  Seminary  sought  to  build:  kindness  and  con- 
sideration for  others,  particularly  the  stranger. 

I  do  not  feel  that  I  am  alone  in  saying  that 
much  that  we  were  taught  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills 
was  of  more  importance  to  the  individual  upbuild- 
ing than  many  of  the  isms  or  theories  of  the  present 
time:  the  high  ideals,  the  honor  of  truth,  the  love 
of  justice,  and,  above  all,  the  types  of  Christian 
womanhood  they  both  endeavored  so  earnestly  to 
develop  in  the  young  minds  committed  to  their 
care. 


January  26. 

IT   was   no   easy  task   to   guide  and   govern   these 
restless   spirits:    girls   from   town   and   country; 
from  mountain  camp  and  lonely  ranch;   of  all 
dispositions;   many  with  little  or  no  training.     To 
teach  and  uplift  was  the  work  committed  to  them. 
How  well  they  fulfilled  their  trust  is  shown  by  the 
noble  types  of  womanhood  scattered  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  this  broad  land. 

An  occasion  I  well  recall  when  I  had  cause  for 
blushes.  The  custom  was  to  write  a  composition 
every  other  week.  "Compositions"  we  then  termed 
them;  later  at  Mills  we  evolved  them  into  essays, 
now  our  collegiate  sisters,  when  they  do  write  them, 
call  them  "themes"  or  "theses." 

We  gloried  in  our  "compositions";  at  least, 
some  did.  If  we  had  a  misspelled  word,  it  was 
written  on  the  blackboard  just  back  of  the  rostrum 
in  the  large  study  hall.  Friday  afternoons,  two  girls 
from  each  section  were  selected  to  read  compo- 
sitions and  two  to  recite  some  choice  poems.  All 
the  school  assembled  for  this  exercise,  and  very 
often  visitors.  The  misspelled  words  were  emblaz- 
oned on  the  board  in  their  misspelled  way  with  the 
name  of  the  unfortunate  speller  underneath. 

If  I  were  as  old  as  the  Sphinx,  I  could  never 
forget  when  I  saw  the  word  mur-m-e-r,  in  bold  black 
and  white,  and  beneath  it  my  name.  When 
Mrs.  Mills  called  upon  me  I  had  to  stand,  spell  the 
word  as  it  was  on  the  blackboard  and  then  correctly. 
I  am  bound  to  say  that,  as  I  gradually  subsided 
and  sank  out  of  sight  on  the  last  syllable,  Mrs. 
Mills  laughingly  remarked  that  murmuring  seemed 
to  be  my  specialty.  I  always  did  think  mur-m-e-r 
more  definite. 

In  these  days  this  method  might  not  meet  with 
favor,  but  I  know  it  made  us  of  the  early  seventies 
very  careful  of  our  orthography. 


January  27. 


Not  that  we  are  sufficient  of  ourselves  to  think  anything 
as  of  ourselves. — II.   Cor.   3:5. 


WHEN  I  was  a  Senior  in  the  Seminary  Depart- 
ment I  was  elected  President  of  my  class, 
much  to  my  secret  elation.     I  was  next  to 
the  youngest  in  the  class,  and  so  was  very  much 
thrilled  by  the  honor.     The  question  of  my  efficiency 
never  occurred  to  me;  I  was  too  puffed  with  pride. 

When  Mrs.  Mills  heard  of  my  election,  she 
straightway  sent  for  me.  Not  so  blind  as  I  to  my 
shortcomings  she  proceeded  to  point  out  to  me  very 
frankly  but  kindly  the  impossibility  of  my  filling 
the  position  as  it  should  be  filled.  "Why,  child! 
you  haven't  the  proper  dignity;  you  are  too  young; 
you  lack  the  required  judgment  such  a  position 
demands,"  etc.,  etc.  So  did  Mrs.  Mills  peel  the 
scales  from  my  eyes.  I  was  dreadfully  hurt,  but 
bore  no  resentment  because  she  was  just.  I  was 
all  she  said  and  more  too.  That  talk  I  will  never 
forget,  nor  shall  I  cease  to  marvel  over  how  beau- 
tifully she  brought  me  down  to  earth  and  showed 
me  my  real  self.  I  left  her  presence  a  saddened 
creature,  but  there  was  no  rancor.  Justice  meted 
out  may  hurt,  but  it  never  leaves  a  scar.  I  was  made 
to  see  my  own  inefficiency  so  clearly  that  I  was 
glad  to  resign,  and  what  was  more,  I  resigned  with 
a  sweet  taste  in  my  mouth. 

I  have  often  wondered  how  many  people  could 
tell  a  conceited  high  school  senior  that  she  wasn't 
capable  of  filling  the  class  president's  chair  and 
be  loved  and  respected  for  it.  Surely  no  other  but 
Mrs.  Mills! 


January  28. 

THE    Twenty-third  Psalm  was  such  a  favorite 
with   Mrs.   Mills  that  I  actually  feel  it  be- 
longed to  her.     Never  do  I  hear  it  but  I  can 
see  Mrs.  Mills  at  Prayers,  shut  the  big  Bible  with 
a  sigh,  fold  her  hands,  and  say  in  her  lovely  voice, 
"Let  us  all  recite  together  that  beautiful  Psalm, 
'The  Lord  is  my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want.'  " 

Never  can  I  forget  Mrs.  Mills'  warning  of  the 
so-called  "Mushroom  friendships,"  that  die  out  as 
quickly  as  they  spring  to  sight. 

How  she  would  emphasize  the  dangers  and  the 
cheapness  of  those  close  intimacies. 

"Be  careful,  young  ladies,"  she  would  admonish, 
"choose  your  friends  slowly;  take  your  time;  let 
friendships  ripen  slowly,  as  do  all  good  fruits." 
Those  words  have  fairly  rung  in  my  ears  ever  since 
I  left  Mills. 

During  my  four  years  of  college  life  in  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts,  I  endeavored  to  follow  dear 
Mrs.  Mills'  advice,  and  even  now  in  married  life, 
I  bear  it  in  mind,  for  after  all  what  wonderful 
advice  it  is.  It  is  surely  one 's  environment  that 
forms  one's  character,  and  what  is  that  environ- 
ment but  one's  circle  of  friends. 

How  often  in  the  famous  five  o'clock  teas  would 
the  law  of  Physics  be  expounded  to  us:  "Heat 
expands  and  cold  contracts."  This  in  connection 
with  our  favorite  habit  of  decorating  the  dressers 
by  slipping  photographs  between  the  glass  and 
frame.  The  law  was  always  a  preface  to  the  talk 
on  the  costly  habit  of  mirror  decorating. 

(See  February  20.) 


January  29. 

MES.   MILLS  was  not  to  be  measured  by  the 
standard  of  the  average  woman.     Few  have 
been  gifted  with  an  intellect  so  keen  and 
alert,  or  a  foresight  so  intuitive.     With  no  marked 
mathematical    ability,    and   with    no   apparent    sys- 
tematic or  logical  process  of  reasoning,  she  would 
arrive   at   a   conclusion   and   grasp   a   truth   with   a 
celerity    fairly    bewildering    to    her    less    brilliant 
associates,  but  entirely  justified  by  later  events. 

With  her,  to  think  was  to  act,  and  her  mind  was 
constantly  employed  with  outreaching  plans  for  the 
upbuilding  of  the  College — plans  which  sooner  or 
later  rarely  failed  to  materialize. 

New  buildings  sprang  up  as  if  by  magic;  the 
grounds  were  beautified  and  the  material  needs  of 
the  College  looked  after;  the  water  system,  the 
vegetable  gardens,  the  stable,  and  the  laundry. 

At  the  same  time  she  was  planning  for  the  in- 
tellectual development  of  the  institution. 

There  were  dreams  to  be  realized  and  hopes  to  be 
fulfilled.  The  Preparatory  Department  was  done 
away  with,  and  in  fullness  of  time  the  Seminary 
became  a  College;  not  perfected  in  all  its  details, 
not  equipped  as  she  desired,  but  it  had  a  recognized 
existence.  It  was  in  its  infancy,  and  money,  loving 
thought  and  never-ending  care  were  necessary  to 
its  growth  and  development. 

She  longed  for  the  means,  and  gave  her  best 
thought  and  untiring  energy  to  secure  it.  Her 
private  means  were  dedicated  to  this  object,  and  yet 
she  needed  more.  "The  ruling  passion  strong  in 
death"  some  call  it.  But  if  it  were  the  ruling 
passion,  its  ends  were  not  subservient  to  her  per- 
sonal gratification,  but  to  the  growth  and  assured 
future  of  the  child  of  her  hopes. 


January  30. 

WITH  her  mental  endowments  a  remarkable 
physical  alertness  was  combined.     She  was 
here,    there,    and    everywhere — a    veritable 
will-o'-the-wisp,  always  sought  for  because  always 
vanishing.    It  was  a  standing  joke  with  the  students 
that  if  it   were  necessary  to  find  Mrs.  Mills,  one 
need  only  take  her  station  at  a  given  point  for  five 
minutes  when   she  would   appear   with   flying   feet 
from  nobody  knew  where. 

One  moment  she  was  in  her  room,  apparently  en- 
grossed in  work;  the  next,  a  glance  from  the  win- 
dow revealed  her  gathering  flowers  for  some  friend 
who  had  called,  or  discussing  with  the  gardener 
some  plans  for  his  work.  Again  she  would  be 
found  in  the  library  looking  for  a  book  or  chatting 
with  the  librarian  in  regard  to  some  of  the  arrange- 
ments. Another  turn  would  disclose  her  in  the 
laboratory,  in  the  kitchen  directing  the  daily  meals, 
or  in  the  room  of  a  disabled  student,  speaking  a 
word  of  encouragement  or  admonition. 

She  came  and  went  like  a  flash  of  light.  I  used 
laughingly  to  say  to  her,  when  trying  in  vain  to 
keep  up  with  her  meteor-like  movements,  that  all 
I  hoped  for  was  to  remain  in  sight  of  the  feather 
on  her  hat  which  I  knew  would  finally  lead  me  to 
her  goal. 

So  she  kept  on  day  after  day,  followed  by  months 
and  years  of  activity  until  "beyond  the  allotted 
space  of  years"  she  gave  into  the  keeping  of  others 
the  care  which  had  claimed  her  love  and  attention 
the  better  part  of  her  life,  and  for  which  she 
labored  alone  for  many  a  year. 


January  31. 


JAMES  M.  AND  JULIA  M.  TOLMAN. 

Born    1829;    Mrs.    Mills'    brother   and   sister    (twins); 

James  died   1831;   Julia  died  1871. 

From  Julia's  Daily  Food  reference,  1838. 

And  I  will  put  my   Spirit  within  you  and  cause   you  to 
walk  in  my  statutes. — Ezek.   36:27. 

O,  send  thy  Spirit  down  to  write 

Thy  law  upon  my  heart, 
Nor  let  my  tongue  indulge  deceit 

Nor  act  the  liar's  part. 

Cast    thy   burden    upon    the    Lord    and   He    shall    sustain 
thee. — Psalm   55:22. 


MES.  TOLMAN,  when  Miss  Julia  Tolman,  also 
taught  at  Mt.  Holyoke,  and  was  greatly 
beloved  by  her  pupils.  She  and  her  five 
sisters  were  at  Mt.  Holyoke  twenty-five  years  as 
scholars  and  teachers.  Their  father  often  said, 
"We  certainly  know  Mary  Lyon  and  Mt.  Holyoke 
well!"  and  well  he  might,  having  in  summer  sun 
and  winter  snow  driven  them  in  turn  from  and  to 
their  home  in  Ware,  taking  sometimes  one  and 
sometimes  three  as  they  were  enrolled  for  study 
at  Mt.  Holyoke  or  were  engaged  in  teaching  there. 

These  words  of  Mary  Lyon  were  beautifully  ex- 
emplified in  the  life  of  Miss  Julia  Tolman:  "In 
your  service  for  the  Master  do  not  expect  praise 
or  reward.  Do  all  out  of  sheer  love  for  your  Savior. 
Live  near  Him  not  afar  off.  Try  to  please  Him, 
try  to  be  like  Him.  A  present  trust  in  Him  is  the 
best  preparation  for  every  trial  that  may  come  to 
you,  the  best  preparation  for  your  closing  hour." 


'/H9erq>  anb  Crutf)  are  met 
together;  fttgl)teou$ne2£  anb 
Peace  ijabr  iusscb  cacij  otter/ 


February  1. 

The  days  of  our  years  are  three-score  years  and  ten; 
and  if  by  reason  of  strength  they  be  four-score  years,  yet 
is  their  strength  labor  and  sorrow;  for  it  is  soon  cut  off 
and  we  fly  away. — Psalm  90:10. 


THUS  oft  it  is  in  life;  we  have  our  round  of 
pleasures,  and  joys  and  pastimes  fill  our  days 
with  glee,  but — comes  a  time — unconsciously 
but  surely  unto  some,  and  ere  they  are  aware,  the 
pure  delights  of  youth  are  gone,  the  cheerful  middle- 
age  has  lost  its  savor,  and  loveless  and  forlorn  they 
drift  along  the  broad  stream  of  existence  to  life's 
close. 


Well-favored  they  who  keep  their  hearts  attuned 
to  nature,  youth,  and  gladness  as  the  years  glide  by. 

'Twas  thus,  with  our  beloved  Mrs.  Mills.  The 
Christian  faith  and  hope  and  peace  and  joy,  El 
Campanil  chimes  out  each  changing  hour,  are  echoes 
only  of  her  own  sweet  life.  "I'm  eighty-six  years 
young"  she  often  said  in  that  last  year  she  dwelt 
with  us  on  earth. 

Thus  age  with  her  was  not  a  "growing  old,"  but 
beautiful  decline,  as  sets  the  sun  in  golden  glory 
of  an  autumn  sky, — or  sinks  behind  some  summit 
winter-born  but  roseate  in  the  evening's  twilight 
glow. 

Progressive,  great,  and  broad  in  heart  and  mind, 
for  her,  advancing  years  meant  growing  young; 
esteeming  more  and  more  each  passing  year  with 
wonder  to  behold  "What  God  hath  wrought!"  yet 
conscious,  too,  that  in  His  own  good  time,  she 
would  know  for  them,  she  would  see  Him  face  to 
face. 


February  2. 

MAY  every  soul  that  touches  mine, 
Be  it  the  slightest  contact,  get  therefrom 
some  good, 

Some  little  grace,  one  kindly  thought, 
One  aspiration  yet  unfelt,  one  bit  of  courage 
For  the  darkening  sky,  one  gleam  of  faith 
To  brave  the  thickening  ills  of  life, 
One  glimpse  of  brighter  sky  beyond  the  gathering 

mist, 

To  make  this  life  worth  while 
And  heaven  a  heritage. " 

After  the  beautiful  lines  on  influence,  quoted 
above,  came  into  Mrs.  Mills'  possession,  she  ob- 
tained many  card  copies  which  she  lovingly  gave  to 
her  girls  who  returned  to  see  her,  and  distributed 
also  among  the  Faculty  members  and  the  students 
at  the  College. 

Just  another  instance  of  how  she  'passed  on' 
something  that  pleased  or  helped  her. 


A  hope  expressed  by  Mrs.  Mills  after  she  became 
President  Emeritus. 

"I  hope  our  girls  will  be  encouraged  to  continue 
to  read  in  concert,  and  I  hope  they  will  keep  up 
their  quiet  fifteen,  morning  and  evening.  It  has 
done  a  great  deal  to  make  our  school  a  Christian 
one." 


Mills  daughters  who  went  forth  from  four  years' 
fostering  care  had  learned  from  practical  lessons  of 
economy,  to  utilize  all  blank  leaves  of  letters,  and 
to  keep  daily  accounts.  The  molding  influence  of 
Mrs.  Mills'  weekly  talks  will  be  remembered  and 
applied  in  daily  life,  when  text-book  reference  and 
lecture  have  faded  from  mind. 


February  3. 

IN    the    early  "seventies"    I    was    principal    of 
St.    Mary's    School    in    Benicia.      I    had    early 
learned   that   Dr.   and   Mrs.   Mills   had   removed 
their  school  from  Benieia  to  a  suburb  of  Oakland. 

One  day  I  was  pleasantly  surprised  by  a  visit 
from  Mrs.  Mills,  who  wished  to  spend  two  or  three 
hours  in  my  class-room.  This  was  the  first  time  I 
had  seen  her. 

Some  years  later  I  was  asked  by  Mrs.  Mills  to 
become  one  of  the  principals  in  the  new  school.  I 
accepted  the  offer  and  remained  several  years,  and 
would  have  remained  permanently  could  I  have 
induced  my  aged  father,  whose  care  was  mine,  to 
join  me  and  make  a  home  for  us  in  a  cottage  on 
the  grounds  of  Mills  Seminary.  He  thought  he 
was  too  old  and  did  not  come. 

I  remained  there  long  enough  to  know  Mrs.  Mills 
thoroughly,  and  to  regard  her  as  a  second  Mary 
Lyon. 

Intellectually  while  she  was  not  of  the  same  type 
as  Julia  Ward  Howe,  whom  I  also  knew  personally, 
it  is  just  to  say  that  among  literary  women  and 
educators,  I  think  that  Mrs.  Mills  had  the  larger 
usefulness. 


February  4. 

WILL  any  of  the  thousands  of  girls  who  at- 
tended the  Wednesday  afternoon  talks  ever 
forget    them!      The    wealth    of    experience 
little  appreciated  by  us  then,  but  how  gladly  remem- 
bered and  put  to  good  use  in  these  days  of  our  life 
battle! 

In  illness  what  could  exceed  her  kindness!  I 
remember  I  was  at  one  time  threatened  with 
chronic  bronchitis.  No  sooner  did  she  realize  that 
I  was  so  ill,  than  my  room  was  changed  to  a 
warmer  and  sunnier  one  where  I  was  near  the 
matron  and  near  the  dining-room.  The  ripest  of 
fruits  and  many  dainties  and  flowers  found  their 
way  to  my  room,  and  many  and  many  a  night  would 
Mrs.  Mills  herself  come  up  at  nine  o  'clock,  bring- 
ing my  mug  of  cream.  This  in  itself  is  a  very 
small  thing,  perhaps,  but  it  serves  as  an  index  of 
her  character — the  little  things,  the  minutiae,  how 
potent  they  are  after  all  in  influencing  us  in  accom- 
plishing results! 

It  was  this  incessant  attention  to  every  detail 
that  went  on,  whether  in  the  kitchen,  the  office, 
the  grounds;  the  little  events  in  the  lives  of  each 
girl — all  were  important  to  her;  nothing  too  little 
to  be  despised  or  overlooked.  And  after  all,  isn't 
that  a  really  grand  trait  of  character?  One  that 
simply  shows  that  the  person  who  forgets  no  detail 
can  grasp  nobly  the  great  whole — realizing  that  the 
little  cells  unless  perfect  cannot  make  a  perfect 
whole. 


T   have   not   departed  from  thy  judgments  for  thou  hast 
taught  me. — Psalm  119:102. 


February  5. 

TO  almost  every  college  student  the  term  Alma 
Mater  signifies  the  institution  from  which 
he  or  she  graduated.  To  you  and  to  me 
it  signifies  not  only  Mills  College,  but  also  her 
who  had  so  large  a  part  in  its  foundation,  who 
loved  it  into  being  and  through  whose  life  and  effort 
and  beneficent  gifts  it  is  what  it  is.  Truly  she 
was  our  Good  Mother.  Do  you  remember  how  she 
would  say,  regretfully,  "I  have  no  child  of  my 
own";  then  add  with  pride,  "but  I  have  a  thou- 
sand daughters! " 

While  Mrs.  Mills'  heart  and  soul  were  wrapped 
up  in  the  institution  she  loved,  no  one  was  ever 
more  keenly  alive  to  all  topics  of  world-interest. 

I  recall  with  intense  pleasure  the  occasion  of  an 
address  delivered  by  Mr.  Eoosevelt  in  the  Greek 
Theatre  at  Berkeley  in  March,  1911.  The  place  was 
thronged.  With  the  opening  strains  of  Priest's 
March  by  the  orchestra,  President  Wheeler  of  the 
University  of  California  entered,  escorting  the 
famous  orator  of  the  day.  Behind  them  followed 
scores  of  educators  from  many  seats  of  learning 
along  the  coast.  They  took  their  seats  upon  the 
platform,  and  Dr.  Jordan  of  Stanford  University 
sat  at  Mrs.  Mills'  side. 

It  was  gratifying  to  observe  the  deferential  atti- 
tude of  that  man  so  big  of  body,  mind  and  heart, 
as  he  now  and  again  conversed  with  the  little 
woman  beside  him  upon  whom  the  hand  of  time 
was  resting  heavily.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  pro- 
gram it  was  David  Starr  Jordan  who  escorted  Mrs. 
Mills  to  Colonel  Eoosevelt,  and  who  introduced 
them.  Across  the  sea  of  faces  there  was  one  daugh- 
ter at  least  who  was  proud  for  her  mother's  sake. 


February  6. 


The  effectual  fervent  prayer  of  s  righteous  man  ayaileth 
much. — James  5:16. 


HOW   indelibly  is   stamped   the  memory  of  the 
prayers   that   Mrs.   Mills   poured   out   in   our 
behalf  in  Assembly  Hall  evening  after  even- 
ing,  day  after  day,  year  after  year!     Listen   and 
you  can  hear  her  voice,  "I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes 
unto  the  hills  from  whence  cometh  my  help!     My 
help  cometh  from  the  Lord. ' ' 


It  was  at  home  among  her  girls  that  Mrs.  Mills' 
richest  life  was  spent. 

As  a  member  of  the  Faculty,  I  remember  with 
much  tenderness  the  Quiet  Fifteen  of  a  Sabbath 
morning  when  we  would  gather  in  the  faculty  room 
and  after  a  portion  of  Scripture,  we  would  kneel 
and  be  led  in  prayer  by  Mrs.  Mills.  Her  hands 
grasping  the  arms  of  her  chair,  her  body  erect,  her 
face  turned  upward,  she  would  utter  her  soul 's 
desire  for  the  girls  she  loved  and  for  wisdom  and 
guidance  in  the  maintenance  of  the  institution 
which  was  her  very  life. 

O,  girls!     Her  prayers  are  our  inheritance. 
Our  lives  are  her  memorial. 


February  7. 

For  a  birthday  of  February  11. 

CAN  you  not   see   Mrs.   Mills  looking  over  those 
half -glasses  of  hers?     Can  you  not  hear  her 
say,  "Welcome  home,  my  daughters." 
Can  you  not  feel  the  thrill  of  fear,  Mills  girls, 
when   sent   to   Mrs.   Mills  because  of  some  misde- 
meanor   or,    as    we    said,    "scrape    we    got    into?" 
Again    those    half-glasses  and    eyes    looking    over 
them.     "Young  ladies   what  means  this  unseemly 
conduct?     It  ought  not  so  to  be." 

How  well  I  remember  my  first  enforced  visit  to 
Mrs.  Mills!  "Why  were  you  sent  to  me,  Helen?" 
she  asked.  "I — I — I — said  'I  didn't  know'  to 

Miss ,   and   she   sent  me   to   you,   but   I   didn't 

know,  Mrs.  Mills,"  I  replied.  Tears  were  stream- 
ing down  my  cheeks  and  I  must  have  been  a  woe- 
ful object.  I  am  sure  now  Mrs.  Mills  wanted  to 
laugh,  but  it  was  not  funny  to  me  then. 

My  instructions  were  never  to  say,  "I  don't 
know"  or  "I  didn't  know,"  but  "do  not  know,  or 
did  not  know.  There  is  always  plenty  of  time  to 
speak  correctly.  Besides,  you  are  here  to  know. ' ' 

That  time  I  escaped  easily,  but  later  my  offense 
was  greater.  I  with  the  other  day  scholars  were 
ushered  into  Mrs.  Mills'  presence.  "Be  seated, 
young  ladies. "  Down  we  sat  upon  a  sofa,  Mrs. 
Mills  seated  in  front  of  us.  Never  have  I  trembled 
more,  never  did  a  sofa  shake  more  than  that  morn- 
ing. I  believe  I  always  avoided  that  corner  ever 
afterward;  and  I  am  sure  we  never  mailed  another 
letter  for  any  girl  while  we  attended  Mills  Sem- 
inary. 


February  8. 


Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom 
.    .    .    and   whatsoever  ye  do  in  word  or  deed,   do  all  in 

the    name    of    the    Lord   Jesus,    giving    thanks   to    God    and 

the   Father  by  him. — Col.   3:16,17. 


1DID  not  understand  Mrs.  Mills  until  my  Senior 
year.     Later  when  I  returned  for  work  in  the 
Music  Department  I  saw  another  phase  of  her 
character,  and  how  she  enjoyed  the  girls'  innocent 
escapades. 

One  day  I  was  in  her  room  when  some  of  the 
girls  were  ushered  in  from  the  Gymnasium.  They 
had  sewed  lace  in  their  bloomers  and  they  certainly 
looked  ridiculous.  Of  course,  they  were  repri- 
manded, but  hardly  were  they  out  of  the  room 
before  Mrs.  Mills  was  chuckling  with  laughter,  her 
eyes  fairly  dancing  in  enjoyment.  "Oh!  how  funny 
girls  arel  I  do  love  them  and  their  pranks." 

Many  times  have  I  heard  her  say,  "My  girls 
keep  me  young." 


And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of  water, 
that  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  his  season;  his  leaf  also 
shall  not  wither;  and  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper. — 
Psalm  1:3. 


February  9. 


_But  lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven  where 
neither  moth  nor  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do 
not  break  through  nor  steal:  For  where  your  treasure  is, 
there  will  your  heart  be  also. — Matt.  6:20-21. 


WOEDS  cannot  express  how  grateful  I  feel  to 
the  school  and  also  to  dear  Mrs.  Mills  for 
all  she  did  for  me.     I  have  often  said  that 
if  I  had  a  dozen  girls,  each  should  have  her  college 
course  in  Mills.     There  is  something  one  gets  from 
such  a  Christian  home,  and  from  the  intimate  asso- 
ciation   with    the   beautiful    characters   of    all    the 
teachers  that  is  hard  to  estimate. 

The  wealth  of  a  Croesus  would  not  tempt  me  to 
give  up  what  Mills  gave  me,  and  what  Mills  is  we 
all  feel  is  due  to  Mrs.  Mills,  her  personality  and  her 
devotion  coupled  with  wonderful  insight  into  char- 
acter that  enabled  her  to  select  most  efficient  assist- 
ants— teachers  that  one  who  did  not  know  Mrs. 
Mills'  power  of  discernment,  would  have  considered 
surprisingly  strong,  considering  the  lack  of  college 
endowment. 

My  life  at  Mills  was  one  of  sweet  harmonious 
development — never  monotonous — yet  one  day  very 
much  like  another.  And  Mrs.  Mills'  influence  was 
in  the  thousand  and  one  little  helps  that  might  seem 
very  insignificant  to  express,  but  won  her  my  de- 
votion. 


February  10. 

Quench  not  the   Spirit. — I.  Thess.  5:19. 


M 


RS.  MILLS  was  a  unique  figure,  for  truly  in 
this  world  of  varied  personalities  there  was 
none  other  like  her. 

One  might  as  easily  analyze  the  solar  spectrum 
to  tell  which  of  the  component  parts  is  most  beau- 
tiful yet  when  all  is  said  and  done  it  is  the  perfect 
blending  of  all  these  parts  that  gives  the  unified 
result  which  we  admire  as  a  perfect  whole. 

So  it  is  when  we  think  of  Mrs.  Mills.  Sometimes 
her  keenness  of  intellect,  sometimes  her  broad  sym- 
pathy, sometimes  her  humor  took  turns  in  appealing 
to  one,  yet  it  was  not  any  one  predominant  trait 
we  loved  her  for,  but  rather  the  perfect  poise  and 
balance  they  produced  in  her  character. 

One  of  the  salient  traits  in  her  character  was  her 
unfailing  sense  of  humor.  I  was  soon  impressed 
with  her  purposeful  use  of  it.  For  example,  one 
week  I  particularly  recall,  was  noted  by  the  many 
requests  she  had  for  absences  one  Saturday.  Very 
many  of  the  girls  had  dental  appointments.  It  so 
happened  that  Mrs.  Mills  herself  went  to  town  that 
day  and  returned  on  the  five-twenty  car.  Nothing 
was  said,  but  a  number  of  us  noted  her  close 
scrutiny  of  the  girls  as  they  started  from  the 
station  staggering  under  the  weight  of  the  inev- 
itable suit-case.  That  evening  before  prayers,  she 
remarked  her  pleasure  at  seeing  all  in  their  places 
promptly  after  the  great  exodus.  Then  added  most 
naively,  "But  young  ladies,  I  don't  understand  the 
modern  dentist.  In  my  day  he  filled  teeth,  but 
now  he  seems  to  fill  suit  cases."  The  incident 
passed  off  with  a  laugh,  but  the  reproof  sank  very 
deep,  and  so  far  as  I  know  was  effective — more  so 
than  a  sermon  could  possibly  have  been. 


February  11. 

DOROTHY  MILLS  SMITH 
Great  Grand  Niece;  now  a  Sophomore  at  Mills  College. 

WHEN   this   grandniece  united  with  the   Mills 
College  Church,  Mrs.  Amelia  Truesdell,  who 
was  present,  was  so  impressed  by  the  serv- 
ice and  the  sermon  that   she  wrote  the  following 
verses,  based  upon  the  theme.     She  also  wrote  the 
music  for  them. 


THE  WAITING  NOTE. 
(And  they  sang  as  it  were  a  new  note.) 

In  the  full  celestial  chorus 

Waits  one  strain  for  only  me; 
Note  of  that  immortal  measure 

From  earth's  death-note  ever  free. 
May  I,  with  my  heart's  own  spirit 

Catch  that  harmony  divine; 
Strike  the  chord  with  tone  unerring, 

Knowing  it  as  only  mine! 

Mine  with  not  a  broken  cadence; 

Mine  for  God's  eternal  chime; 
Keyed  to  heavenly  diapason, 

"When  the  world  He  swung  in  rhyme; 
In  majestic  majors  swelling, 

Mine  where  men  and  angels  meet; 
And  the  spheres  in  grand  crescendo, 

Lay  their  worship  at  His  feet. 

Amelia  Woodward  Truesdell,  Mills  College,  1910. 
Dedicated  to  Mrs.  Susan  L.  Mills. 


February  12. 

The   Birthday  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


WHY  Mrs.  Mills'  middle  name  is  Lincoln  I  do 
not  know,  but  I  do  know  she  had  a  great 
admiration    for   the    character    of   Lincoln, 
and     a    tender   and    sympathetic    regard    for     his 
memory. 

She  was  so  interested  in  commemorating  the  one 
hundredth  anniversary  of  his  birth  that  she  sur- 
prised those  at  the  College  on  that  occasion  by 
having  unveiled  below  the  portrait  of  Lincoln,  in 
the  Recreation  Boom,  a  bronze  tablet  upon  which  is 
inscribed  his  famous  Gettysburg  address. 

At  the  noon  hour,  interesting  exercises  preceded 
the  ceremony  of  the  unveiling,  President  Mills  her- 
self acting  as  Master  of  Ceremonies.  Mrs.  Mills 
introduced  the  program  by  saying: 

"The  Legislature  of  California  has  exercised  its 
law-making  power  by  enacting  that  this  Friday, 
February  12,  1909,  be  particularly  observed  by  the 
schools  of  our  State  as  'Lincoln  Day,'  to  commem- 
orate the  one  hundredth  birthday  of  the  greatest 
of  our  national  heroes." 

After  giving  an  interesting  account  of  the  legis- 
lative proceedings  of  enactment,  and  repeating  Gov- 
ernor Gillett's  words  closing:  "Let  every  one  lay 
aside  personal  concerns  for  a  little  time  and  join 
heartily  in  this  celebration  of  Lincoln's  anniver- 
sary," she  said,  "so  we  here  have  fittingly  set 
aside  our  accustomed  tasks  to  unite  with  others 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  in 
offering  a  tribute  to  this  foremost  of  Americans, 
this  hero,  emancipator,  and  martyr." 


February  13. 

THE    great    number    of     remarkable     qualities 
possessed  by  Mrs.  Mills  combine  into  such  a 
wonderful  whole,  such  a  unique  personality, 
that   it   is   difficult   to   analyze  them  into   separate 
characteristics. 

Perhaps  Mrs.  Mills'  love  for  children,  especially 
for  "her  girls"  and  their  little  ones,  is  most  im- 
pressed upon  my  mind  because  of  two  letters  she 
wrote  after  my  baby  came  in  1912,  not  long  before 
her  last  illness.  She  said: 

"I  shall  hope  when  he  is  old  enough  that  you 
will  bring  him  over  to  see  me,  for  you  know  I  am 
always  greatly  interested  in  my  'children'  and 
'grand  children.' 

"I  have  not  been  very  well  of  late,  and  you  will 
pardon  me  for  sending  a  short  letter,  but  I  wanted 
to  send  my  love  and  congratulations. 

"I  am  sure  you  will  bring  the  little  boy  up  to  be 
a  great  blessing  and  comfort  to  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  I  fear  he  will  not  be  a  candidate 
for  Mills." 


I  am  looking  back  over  a  period  of  twenty-five 
years  to  Commencement  Day,  and  to  that  wonderful 
little  figure,  the  President  of  Mills  College.  Again 
I  hear  her  benediction  as  I  with  others  went  forth 
from  its  portals,  lovingly  called  "one  of  her  girls," 
to  face  life's  vicissitudes  and  to  prove  the  value 
and  worth  of  her  care  and  tender  guardianship  dur- 
ing my  formative  years. 


February  14. 

And  a  little  child  shall  lead  them.— Isaiah  11:0. 


MY  contribution  for  the  Year  Book  is  a  copy 
of  a  dear  letter  that  Mrs.  Mills  wrote  on 
the  occasion   of    the    birth    of    my    grand- 
daughter, Azalene  Ward  Eaton. 

Mrs.  Mills  claimed  her  as  the  first  great  grand- 
child of  Mills  Seminary,  as  she  was  the  first  child 
whose  mother  and  grandmother  had  both  been  grad- 
uated under  Mrs.  Mills'  instruction. 

Dear  Great  Granddaughter, 

I  am  ao  glad  you  have  reached  San  Francisco. 
We  have  been  expecting  you  for  some  time.  We 
welcome  you,  and  expect  you  to  be  a  dear,  good 
little  maiden,  a  great  comfort  to  your  Mamma  and 
Papa  and  to  all  who  love  you  already. 

May  you  grow  better  and  bigger  every  day  and 
be  a  blessing  to  everybody. 

I  think  of  you  most  tenderly  and  pray  God  to 
bless  you,  dear  little  one. 

Affectionately, 

GRANDMA  MILLS. 
Mills  College, 
November  8,  1901. 


"Mary  Lyon  used  to  say  to  us,  'You  will  become 
more  Christlike  by  loving  little  children.'  " 


February  15. 

1HAVE  seen  much  and  experienced  much  in  these 
years  now  gone,  sharing  as  a  common  lot  the 
trials  and  sorrows  inextricably  interwoven  with 
life.      There   have   been    disappointments   of   many 
fair   young   dreams,   but   there   is   one   object   that 
stands  forth  without  impairment,  that  has  grown 
with  my  maturity,  and  has  become  revealed  to  me 
in  my  fuller  understanding  as  incomparably  great — 
and  that  is,  the  revered  President  of  our  beloved 
Alma  Mater,  Mrs.  Susan  L.  Mills. 

So  strong  were  the  effects  of  her  influence,  BO 
abiding  the  fruits  of  her  wisdom,  that  the  scenes 
of  long  ago  where  she  took  an  active  part,  appear 
as  of  yesterday,  and  that  what  we  believe  and 
think  can,  in  a  large  measure,  be  traced  back  to 
those  early  days  when  she  was  our  friend  and  guide. 

How  vivid  even  now  to  my  memory  are  what  she 
called  "General  Exercises,"  held  at  Seminary  Hall 
every  Tuesday  afternoon,  and  her  peremptory  in- 
junction, "none  to  be  excused." 

Here  she  met  her  "girls"  alone,  none  of  the 
Faculty  being  present. 

She  met  them  as  a  loving  mother,  but  with  the 
wisdom  of  a  Solomon. 

Here  she  poured  out  her  great  spirit.  Her  won- 
derful range  of  experience  in  many  lands.  Her 
clear  insight  into  practical  life  made  her  a  mar- 
velous counselor  and  adviser,  and  an  incalculable 
force  for  good,  acting  upon  the  plastic  natures 
before  her. 


February  16. 

THESE   heart-to-heart   talks  can   never  be  for- 
gotten or  even  over-estimated  in  their  benefi- 
cent effects.     The   full   range   of  conduct   in 
its  minutest  details  was  intimately  discussed. 

The  "girls'  "  correspondence,  "the  messages  to 
the  dear  ones  at  home, "  as  to  their  regularity  and 
care  that  nothing  was  written  that  would  worry  or 
annoy,  were  subjects  of  soundest  advice  and  instruc- 
tion. 

The  matters  of  table  etiquette,  dress,  personal 
conduct  on  trains  and  on  boats,  the  care  of  our 
health,  our  duties  to  each  other  and  to  our  teachers, 
and  to  the  servants  (her  frequent  admonition  being 
"be  considerate  of  those  who  serve")  were  pre- 
sented to  us  in  a  manner  and  with  a  persuasiveness 
that  forever  affected  and  modified  our  conduct. 

Were  it  going  home  time,  her  guardful  spirit  was 
present  with  timely  and  helpful  advice  and  implicit 
directions  were  given  us,  down  to  the  trunk  "to  be 
marked  with  a  little  red  cord  or  ribbon."  Our 
conduct  when  at  home,  our  greeting  of  old  friends, 
perhaps  less  fortunate  than  ourselves  in  the  pos- 
session of  opportunities,  to  eschew  petty  assump- 
tions, and  at  home,  to  be  of  use  and  service  to  our 
parents,  and  to  show  a  due  consideration  to  the 
old  grandparents.  In  all  these  and  kindred  sub- 
jects she  most  carefully  admonished  us,  thus  incul- 
cating in  us  the  most  splendid  precepts  of  life. 
Her  definition  of  politeness  I  have  never  forgotten, 
"Kindness  manifested  in  an  easy  and  graceful  man- 
ner." 


February  17. 

EMILY  TOLMAN  CONDRON 
Born   1819;    died   1856. 
Mrs.  Mills'   oldest  sister. 

From   "Daily  Food"   texts  of  Julia  Tolman,  1838. 
Thou,  Lord,  art  good  and  ready  to  forgive  and  plenteous 
in   mercy  unto  all  them  that  call  upon  thee. — Psalm  86:5. 

Mercy,  good  Lord,  mercy  I  seek, 

This  is  the  total  sum; 
Mercy  through  Christ,  is  all  my  suit, 

Lord,  let  thy  mercy  come. 

Be  merciful  unto  me,  O  Lord,  for  I  cry  unto  thee  daily. — 
Psalm  86:3. 


SO  many  beautiful    quotations   and  conversations 
will  come  to  me  when  it  is  too  late! 

But  I  shall  always  remember  one  statement 
she  made  in  one  of  her  leeturettes  to  the  girls. 
She  said  she  had  often  been  asked  to  what  she 
owed  her  success  in  life,  and  her  reply  was  always 
the  same,  "To  my  close  attention  to  details." 

One  evening  after  a  very  pleasant  reception  and 
musicale,  one  of  the  young  ladies  in  bidding  Mrs. 
Mills  good-night  said  courteously,  "I  have  enjoyed 
myself  very  much."  "Oh,"  said  Mrs.  Mills,  "do 
you  not  mean  that  you  enjoyed  the  music?" 

I  prize  my  rose  pillow  filled  with  petals  from 
the  rose-garden  which  gave  place  to  the  Margaret 
Carnegie  Library.  The  suggestion  was  given  me 
by  Mrs.  Mills  as  she  encouraged  us  to  cut  off  the 
withered  blossoms  that  the  new  flowers  might  be 
more  beautiful. 


M 


February  18. 

Y  knowledge  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  began  in 
1869  at  the  old  Benicia  home. 


It  is  difficult  to  state  what  were  the  char- 
acteristics of  Mrs.  Mills  that  made  the  most  im- 
pression upon  my  mind  and  helped  influence  my  life. 
However,  her  strict  admonitions  as  to  the  small 
duties  and  courtesies  in  our  daily  intercourse  with 
our  fellow-beings,  and  loyalty  to  our  friends,  have 
always  been  with  me. 

She  entered  into  our  amusements  and  tried  to 
give  us  rational  pleasures  in  our  school-life.  The 
rules  were  not  many,  but  we  were  given  clearly  to 
understand  that  they  must  be  obeyed. 

We  would  not  have  been  girls  if  we  had  not  at 
times  chafed  under  them,  but  we  knew  very  well 
that  the  unreasonableness  dwelt  not  in  the  rules, 
but  in  ourselves;  in  the  restlessness  and  impatience 
of  youth.  She  often  said,  and  only  too  truly,  that 
"those  who  never  obey  are  not  fitted  to  command." 

One  pithy  saying  which  always  excited  our 
laughter  was  in  reference  to  girls  marrying  as 
soon  as  they  left  school. 

Mrs.  Mills  was  in  favor  of  marriage  and  home 
life,  but  urged  us  not  to  enter  upon  matrimony  too 
hastily,  and  would  conclude  her  remarks  by  saying: 
"Young  ladies,  remember  'windfalls  go  first.'  " 


February  19. 

THE  Bible  motto  she  gave  my  class  was  the 
one  the  revered  Mary  Lyon  gave  hers: 
"Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give." 

My  interest  in  all  missionary  work  is  attributable 
to  her.  An  interest  I  have  always  tried  to  keep  np. 

She  was  far-seeing  and  skilled  in  her  comprehen- 
sion of  character. 

It  was  her  aim  to  build  upon  that  which  is  im- 
perishable— the  heart  and  mind. 

The  cunning  hand  of  the  painter  can  depict  the 
lineaments  of  the  face  or  the  beauties  of  the  land- 
scapes. The  sculptor  wields  the  hammer  and  chisel 
and  the  white  marble  gleams  in  the  light,  claiming 
our  admiration.  The  songstress  thrills  our  soul  with 
her  divine  notes,  but — the  colors  fade,  and  the  can- 
vas moulders  to  dust,  whilst  the  voice  of  the  singer 
is  stilled  by  an  inevitable  death,  but  great  and 
good  deeds  forever  bear  witness  of  the  large  heart 
from  whence  they  sprung. 


Bring  ye  all  the  tithes  into  the  store-house  that  there 
may  be  meat  in  my  house,  and  prove  me  now  herewith, 
gaith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  if  I  will  not  open  yon  the  windows 
of  heaven,  and  pour  yon  out  a  blessing  that  there  shall 
not  be  room  to  receive  it. — Mai.  3:10. 


February  20. 

Let  not  the  wise  man  glory  in  his  wisdom,  neither  let 
the  mighty  man  glory  in  his  might,  let  not  the  rich  man 
glory  in  his  riches;  but  let  him  that  glorieth  glory  in  this, 
that  he  understandeth  and  knoweth  me,  that  I  am  the 
Lord  which  exercise  loving  kindness,  judgment,  and  right- 
eousness in  the  earth:  for  in  these  things  I  delight,  saith 
the  Lord. — Jeremiah  9:23-24. 


(From  Jan.  28) 

1   LIVED  under  Mrs.  Mills'  roof-tree  seven  years, 
and  I  loved  her  with  my  whole  heart.    A  nobler 
woman,  grander  woman  never  lived.    Her  teach- 
ings, her  religion,  her  sympathy,  and  her  love  can 
never  be  forgotten. 

My  one  regret  is  that  my  babies  will  never  know 
Mrs.  Mills — the  most  wonderful  woman  in  every 
sense  that  I  have  ever  known. 

(Note:  The  writer  of  these  paragraphs  is  a 
granddaughter  of  Mrs.  Mills,  in  the  sense  that 
daughters  of  Mills  Girls  are  all  considered  her 
' '  granddaughters. ' '  Her  mother  was  a  Mills  daugh- 
ter of  the  "seventies."  After  the  mother's  death, 
the  writer,  then  a  little  girl,  came  with  an  older 
sister  to  the  College  roof-tree.  She  remained  to 
graduate  from  the  Seminary,  and  to  begin  her  col- 
lege work  preparatory  to  entering  Radcliffe.  The 
impressions  of  one  who  was  with  Mrs.  Mills  so 
many  years,  mean  much. — C.) 


And  be  not  conformed  to  this  world;  but  be  ye  trans- 
formed by  the  renewing  of  your  mind,  that  ye  may  prove 
what  is  that  good,  and  acceptable,  and  perfect  will  of 
God. — Rom.  12:2. 


February  21. 

A   "PEDIGREED"   CAKE. 
(Verbatim  Copy.) 
Mt.  Vernon  Cake. 

(From  a  recipe  used  in  General  Washington's 

family) 

1%  Ibs.  sugar  %  Ib.  butter 

1%  Ibs-  flour  6  eggs 

1  pt.  sour  cream  1  teaspoonful  soda 

(in  the  cream) 

Grated  rind  of  2  lemons  1  Ib.  raisins 

Juice  of  1  lemon,  1  nutmeg      1  Ib.  currants 
A  little  ground  mace  %  Ib.  citron 

Cream  butter  and  sugar  together,  add  yolks  of 
eggs  well-beaten,  then,  cream  and  flour  alternately. 
Then  add  whites  of  eggs  well-beaten,  and  last  of 
all  the  fruits  floured. 

Bake  about  two  hours  if  in  one  pan.  While  bak- 
ing cover  with  buttered  paper.  Brick  ovens  being 
used  in  those  days  it  bakes  too  quickly. 

Pedigree:  This  recipe  was  given  to  Mrs.  Stephen 
van  Eenssalaer,  wife  of  the  Gen.  G.,  by  Lady  Wash- 
ington, who  gave  it  to  the  grandmother  of  Mrs. 
Lansing,  who  gave  it  to  Mrs.  Davenport,  who  gave 
it  to  Mrs.  Percy,  who  sends  it  with  her  kind  regards 
to  Mrs.  Mills,  February  22,  1903. 


February  22. 

AN  annual  and  characteristic  feature  of  college 
life    is    the   Washington    Birthday    celebra- 
tion  which  never  fails  to   bring  forth  great 
displays  of  talent  with  results  beautiful  and  aston- 
ishing. 

The  holiday  is  usually  spent  in  preparation  for 
the  evening's  celebration.  Tables  are  appropriately 
decorated  in  patriotic  colors  and  emblems,  for  the 
dinner  hour,  and  the  powdered  hair  and  gay  cos- 
tumes make  the  scene  festive  as  well  as  charming. 

In  Seminary  days,  the  Seminary  Seniors  were 
hostesses.  Now,  the  Freshmen  hold  that  honor  and 
privilege.  This  is  the  one  party  of  the  year  held 
in  Lisser  Hall.  A  gavotte  or  minuet  is  always  a 
feature  of  the  evening. 

Mrs.  Mills  always  enjoyed  these  affairs  and  often 
wore  a  dainty  piece  of  old  lace  as  cap  or  fichu,  to 
show  her  interest  in  the  spirit  of  the  occasion. 


This  little  incident  took  place  in  the  early   '90s. 

We  were  not  supposed  to  don  men's  attire  even 
in  the  plays  we  gave.  It  was  the  22d  of  February. 
' '  Bloomers ' '  had  recently  been  adopted  for  ' '  Gym ' ' 
work.  Tired  of  the  hosts  of  Martha  Washingtons 
in  powdered  hair  and  crossed  kerchiefs  that  saun- 
tered .into  the  dining-room,  I  rigged  up  a  wonderful 
George's  costume.  The  only  incongruity  was  a 
dashing,  bold,  upturned  moustache. 

After  grace,  I  marched  through  the  maze  of 
Lady  Washingtons  and  with  one  accord  was  loudly 
cheered  by  my  many  spouses.  Mrs.  Mills,  hearing 
the  unusual  noise,  hastened  from  the  "little  dining- 
room"  to  be  confronted  with  this  cavalier.  "Who 
is  itf  "  she  said.  Then  the  bravery  of  a  Washington 
even  was  at  stake.  Hating  to  capitulate  his  ready 
wit  manifested  itself.  He  walked  solemnly  over  to 
her,  made  a  sweeping  bow,  his  hand  on  his  heart, 
then  stepping  nearer,  he  took  her  hand  and  kneel- 
ing, kissed  it. 

It  is  needless  to  say  there  was  no  reprimand,  but 
a  jolly  evening,  all  the  happier  for  the  victory  of 
the  earlier  hour. 


February  23. 


Be  of  the  same  mind  one  towards  another.  Mind  not 
high  things,  but  condescend  to  men  of  low  estate.  Be  not 
wise  in  your  own  conceits.  Overcome  evil  with  good. — 
Bom.  12:16,  21. 


If  any  be  overtaken  in  a  fault,  ye  which  are  spiritual, 
restore  such  an  one,  in  the  spirit  of  meekness ;  considering 
thyself,  lest  thou  also  be  tempted. — Gal.  6:1. 


N 


OTES  from  some  of  Mrs.  Mills'  talks. 


What  are  you  here  for!     What   are  your 
life  plans? 

The  Building  of  Character — not  what  you  do,  but 
what  you  are. 

True  character  after  Divine  Patterns. 

Every  man's   life  a  plan   of  God — we  make  or 
mar  it. 

God  designed  perfection  in  details  as  well  as  in 
the  whole. 

We  fail  to  attain  what  we  seek  in  wealth,  honor — 
but  spiritual  and  moral  good,  all  may  attain. 

Mary  Lyon's  was  the  most  fruitful  life  lived  by 
a  woman  in  the  nineteenth  century. 

If  you   commence  teaching  and  do  not  succeed, 
see  to  it  that  you  do  succeed. 

Be  strong  and  of  good  courage. 


Let  every    man    prove    his  own  work  and  then  he  shall 
rejoice  in  himself  alone,  and  not  in  another. — Gal.  6 :4. 


Let  all  bitterness,  and  wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamour, 
and  evil  speaking,  be  put  away  from  you,  with  all  malice: 
And  be  ye  kind  to  one  another,  tender  hearted,  forgiving 
one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven 
you. — Eph.  4:31,32. 


MRS.   MILLS   IN  THE 
EARLY   SEVENTIES 


B 


February  24. 

UTLD  good  foundations. 

Christian  character,  on  great  eternal  prin- 
ciples. 

Truth,  through  and  through;  falsehood  mars  char- 
acter always. 

Purity — A  canon  of  art  that  an  artist  who  lives 
badly  never  can  paint  a  good  picture. 

One  who  works  with  stained  fingers  leaves  spots 
and  blemishes. 

Only  the  pure  in  heart  shall  see  God,  and  so  be 
God  like. 

Love,  reverse  of  selfishness,  using  the  life  to  bless 
others. 

Never  needlessly  give  pain  or  do  hurt  to  a  fellow 
being. 

Do  greatest  possible  good  to  all. 


Mrs.  Mills,  dear  soul — I  can  think  of  no  word  to 
express,  but  kaleidoscopic,  so  varied  her  abilities, 
and  they  so  beautifully  used  in  the  freeing  of 
woman. 

As  I  write,  so  many  scenes  of  the  past  pass  my 
memory  of  the  five  years'  guidance  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs,  Mills,  I  cannot  think  of  them  as  gone. 


February  25. 

Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul!  and  why  art  then 
disquieted  within  me?  hope  in  God:  for  I  shall  yet  praise 
him,  who  is  the  health  of  my  countenance  and  my  God. — 
Ps.  43:5. 


FROM  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Mills,  written  by  a  good 
friend,  a  business  man. 

My  dear  Mrs.  Mills. 

Your  kind  note  of  Saturday  is  just  received,  and 
I  am  sure  it  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to  do  any- 
thing I  possibly  can  if  my  advice  is  worthy  any- 
thing to  you  respecting  the  matter.  *  *  *  We  do 
indeed  pray  that  this  year  we  have  entered  shall 
be  the  best  year  in  the  history  of  the  College  and 
that  many  of  the  dear  young  lives  there  may  be 
fully  given  to  God  in  a  deeper  consecration  than 
ever  before.  I  am  sure  you  can  rest  with  all  con- 
fidence in  God's  promise  to  you  that  He  shall  supply 
all  your  need  in  the  carrying  on  of  that  work 
which  is  so  sacredly  given  over  to  Him  by  you. 

The  Lord  has  been  teaching  me  lately  a  very 
sweet  lesson  about  the  rest  of  Faith  and  how  much 
it  means,  definitely  believing  and  then  entering 
into  rest.  I  for  a  long  time  knew  only  the  wrestling, 
agonizing  prayer  of  faith  that  kept  teasing  God. 
As  I  look  back  I  see  what  a  mistaken  idea.  God 
loves  us  so  much  that  He  will  withhold  no  good 
thing  from  us,  telling  us  "all  things  are  yours." 
"Ask  what  ye  will."  I  am  learning  that  the  more 
we  ask,  the  more  we  delight  and  glorify  God.  *  *  * 


February  26. 

AS  I  was  one  of  her  older  pupils  and  have  seen 
her  often  during  all  these  years,  to  me  Mrs. 
Mills  was  very  personal,  quite  like  one  of  the 
family,  and  nothing  she  liked  better  than  to  visit 
with  me  and  mine. 

One  summer  while  I  was  still  a  pupil  at  Mills,  she 
spent  an  afternoon  and  a  night  at  my  father's  home, 
and  afterwards  often  spoke  of  the  pleasure  it  gave 
her  to  be  taken  in  as  one  of  the  family  instead  of 
being  made  company  of. 

She  more  than  once  spent  the  day  with  me  in 
my  own  home,  and  always  seemed  supremely  happy. 
In  fact,  one  of  the  things  her  pupils  did  not  know 
was  that  she  dearly  loved  to  visit  "her  girls"  in 
their  own  homes.  Had  more  realized  it,  she  surely 
would  have  had  more  invitations  than  she  had  days 
to  spare. 

She  was  very  fond  of  my  boys  and  watched  their 
growth  from  babyhood  to  manhood  with  real  inter- 
est. 

Mrs.  Mills,  as  many  of  us  know,  was  very  quick 
at  repartee,  and  always  knew  what  to  say  and 
when  to  say  it.  Some  years  ago  my  husband  and 
I  met  her  on  the  Oakland  boat.  She  had  been  to 
the  Mills  Club  that  afternoon,  where  I  had  been 
also.  During  the  course  of  conversation  she  spoke 
of  how  well  "the  girls"  all  looked,  and  of  various 
other  things  that  pleased  her,  so  my  husband,  man- 
like, said,  "It  shows  how  well  'your  girls'  '  hus- 
bands take  care  of  them."  She  looked  at  him  over 
her  glasses,  as  we  have  all  seen  her  look,  and  quick 
as  a  flash  replied,  "I  have  noticed  how  well  'my 
girls '  '  husbands  are  being  taken  care  of,  too. ' ' 
Mr.  D laughed,  and  tried  for  no  more  compli- 
ments. 


February  27. 


jlrag* r 

iiranrnlg  3Falhrr: 

arurh  mr  to  Intr  ntnrr  as  (Ihrist 
ItoriL  Ola  frrl  utnrr  as  if*  frit.  an 
labnr  mnrr  as  ijr  labnrrJi.  an  &?ng 
mttsclf  mnrr  SB  l^f  ftp nira  t^tntHplf .  an 
;trag  mnrr  an  %?r  pratjrh.  an  agnntsr 
nurr  a  Inat  and  o|rtng  mnrlo  mnrr  as 


One  of  Mrs.  Mills'  girls,  knowing  of  her  love  for 
this  prayer  of  Mary  Lyon,  made  a  pen  copy  with 
illuminated  border  and  gave  it  to  her. 

She  hung  it  above  her  mantel,  and  often  called 
attention  to  it. 

It  still  hangs  where  she  placed  it. 


February  28. 

MARY  LYON 
Born  1797,  Died  1849 

Give  her  of  the  fruit  of  her  hands  and  let  her  own 
works  praise  her  in  the  gates. — Inscription  on  the  head- 
stone at  Mary  Lyon's  grave,  Mt.  Holyoke. 


N  the  heights  of  the  University  of  New 
York  stands  the  Hall  of  Fame  where  re- 
cently  has  been  engraved  the  name  of 
Mary  Lyon.  Hitherto  this  peristyle  or  avenue  of 
immortals  has  been  reserved  for  American  men. 
The  recognition  of  an  American  woman  to  a  place 
among  the  revered  of  the  nation  is  significant  of  the 
wonderful  change  that  has  taken  place  in  modern 
standards. 

"When  Mary  Lyon  was  doing  her  pioneer  work 
and  establishing  at  Mt.  Holyoke,  Massachusetts,  a 
college  for  women,  she  met  with  even  aggressive 
opposition.  Now  the  education  of  girls  and  young 
women  in  this  country  is  one  of  the  most  important 
features  of  our  civilization.  Contrary  to  popular 
belief,  50  per  cent  of  the  educated  girls  get  married. 
Their  homes  become  intellectual  and  social  centers 
in  the  highest  sense. 

"Throughout  her  career  as  a  college  founder  and 
president,  she  introduced  the  spirit  of  service.  She 
was  the  first  to  recognize  that  young  people  would 
rise  to  the  occasion  if  put  upon  their  honor.  Through 
her  influence  truth  and  the  search  for  it  became 
idealized. 

"Mary  Lyon  educated  girls  for  teachers  and  sent 
them  throughout  America  and  into  England,  Spain, 
India,  Persia  and  Japan.  Lake  Erie  College  in 
Ohio  and  Mills  College  in  California  are  colleges  in 
the  West  founded  by  women  who  went  from  her 
classes. 

"Every  educated  woman  is  a  beneficiary  of  the 
work  begun  by  Mary  Lyon.  In  enthusiasm  over 
this  work  it  is  said  that  she  was  the  emancipator 
of  women  and  that  in  time  the  influence  of  her  spirit 
will  thus  liberate  half  of  the  human  race. 

"The  Hall  of  Fame  has  been  honored  by  the  ad- 
dition of  her  name  to  the  list  of  immortals." 

Abridged  from  an  article  entitled,  "Gracing  the  Hall 
of  Fame,"  by  H.  B. 


February  29 

MKS.  MILLS'  love  of  beauty  was  another  of 
her  strong  characteristics.  This  same  trait 
was  especially  marked  in  Miss  Tolman,  but 
took  form  along  another  line.  While  Miss  Tolman 
was  exclusively  fond  of  art,  Mrs.  Mills  not  only 
loved  art — lovely  things — but  also  lovely  souls,  and 
this  great  love  seemed  to  direct  her  chief  aim  in 
life — the  development  of  lovely,  useful  woman- 
hood; and  realizing  that  to  obtain  this  end,  lovely 
things  must  surround  these  girls  of  hers,  every 
desire  and  effort  was  to  that  end.  Little  by  little, 
grounds  became  more  beautiful.  Some  new  change, 
a  rose  garden,  an  addition,  a  new  building,  and  at- 
tractive lobby — improvements  they  must  be,  until 
today  what  spot  is  more  beautiful  in  all  California 
than  the  place  made  so  by  a  soul  beautiful  in  its 
unselfish  devotion  to  its  chosen  mission! 

When  my  means  were  exhausted — and,  oh!  how 
many  times  that  happened! — how  splendidly  did  she 
come  to  the  rescue  of  the  preacher's  daughter.  I 
was  to  play  in  a  concert.  I  had  the  dress,  but  not 
the  price  of  its  making;  my  next  remittance  was 
not  for  some  time  due.  Well,  in  some  mysterious 
way,  the  dress  was  made,  but  the  dressmaker's  bill 
was  •'never  received.  It  was  when  I  was  to  grad- 
uate that  she  came  to  me  and,  running  her  hand 
through  my  arm,  said,  "Child,  you  seem  almost  like 
a  child  of  mine,  and  I  want  to  give  you  your  grad- 
uating dress,"  and  showing  me  samples,  bade  me 
select  the  one  I  preferred. 

I  could  write  scores  of  things  about  Mrs.  Mills, 
so  much  can  happen  in  seven  years.  I  was  very 
fond  of  a  joke  and  so  was  Mrs.  Mills,  and  we  had 
many  a  laugh  together. 


Diuinr  ijartiumg  mhtrh  Mrs. 
Mills  lutrw  and  rrultHrft  in  hrr 
rnrnj  iiatt  lifr,  rrflrrtrb  ttsrlf  on 
all  infyn  uirrr  iittth  lirr,  and  utr 
f»l  ll|r  mar*  grateful  to  Ifrr 
UH  tor  luuk  bark  and  arr  in  pt r- 
Bjirrtiur  the  iiualitirB  iur  BO  ab- 
ani  Urorll." 


March  1. 

ALMA  MATER. 
Dedicated  to  Susan  Lincoln  Mills. 

Among  the  pleasures  I  have  known 
In  youth's  fair  halcyon  hours, 

The  sweetest  joys  have  come  to  me 
Amidst  Mills'  fragrant  flowers. 

When  yearning  now  o'er  yesteryears, 

Fond  memory  ever  dwells 
On  its  verdant  lawn,  the  lilied  lea, 

The  oft  repeating  bells. 

Again  upon  the  perfumed  pines, 

The  zephyrs  gently  play 
In  melody  Aeolian, 

Some  faint  and  plaintive  lay. 

How  oft  I  strayed  beneath  the  oakfc 

Where  ivy  loved  to  twine, 
And  hearkened  to  the  lisping  brook 

In  bygone  summer  time. 

Ah,  perhaps  you  may  remember 

The  periwinkle  glade; 
The  stately  eucalyptus  grove 

Which  lent  a  grateful  shade. 


March  2. 

At  noon-time  when  from  lessons  free 
You  wandered  down  the  lane 

And  caught  a  glimpse  of  yellow  fields 
Where  waved  the  golden  grain. 

Then  spring-tide,  when  the  breath  of  rose 

And  lilac  filled  the  air; 
When  the  primrosed  plumed  acacia 

Cast  fragrance  everywhere. 

I  loved  the  slopes  of  Sunnyside 
Where  bloomed  the  hawthorn  tree 

Fair  place  so  peaceful  and  so  calm — 
A  hallowed  spot  to  me. 

Thou  reignest,  Alma  Mater  dear, 

Serene  among  the  hills; 
Blest  home  we  ever  will  revere 

Our  own  beloved  Mills. 

MABEL  E.  PHILLIPS,  '94. 


March  3. 

"UP  IN  ALASKA." 
by 

Esther  Birdsall  Darling. 
From  fly-leaf. 

"To 

Mrs.  Susan  L.  Mills  with  much  love 
and  many  happy  remembrances  of  those 
days  'When  I  was  a  girl  at  Mills.' 

Nome,  Alaska,  September  6,  1912." 


From  page  38. 

A  WISH. 

May  your  life  be  as  full  of  brightness 

As  Alaska's  long  June  days, 
When  at  midnight  the  sun  just  sinks  to  rest 

But  leaves  us  his  golden  rays. 

May  your  troubles  and  sorrows  be  shorter 

Than  our  brief  December  days, 
When  our  noon  like  a  ghostly  twilight, 

Is  shrouded  in  soft  gray  haze. 

May  your  skies  be  as  clear  and  starry 

As  those  of  our  Arctic  nights, 
And  illumined  with  mystic  splendor 

Like  the  glory  of  Northern  Lights. 


March  4. 

EXTEACTS    from    letters    from    two    friends— 
well-known  ministers. 

We  had  you  in  remembrance  on  your  birth- 
day, and  always  remember  you  in  our  home  with 
glad  and  grateful  interest  .  .  .  most  of  all,  that 
you  are,  and  that  you  are  what  you  are — so  young 
with  all  your  years — so  graciously  womanly — so 
capable  and  lovable  at  once — and  always  so  sin- 
cerely a  disciple  of  Him  whose  birthday  fills  the 
world  with  good-will. 

Yours  in  Him, 


Christmas,  1906. 


Today  is  yours.  It  is  the  accepted  time  for  every 
duty  now  obligatory — for  every  privilege  now 
within  your  grasp. 

Trusting  in  the  God  of  Providence,  and  taking 
up  every  duty  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  and  in  de- 
pendence upon  His  guidance  and  strength,  look  to 
the  future  without  anxiety  and  be  led  in  the  path 
that  Infinite  Wisdom  and  Goodness  marks  out. 
Cheerfully  may  you  sing  unto  the  Lord: 

"So  long  thy  power  has  blest  me,  sure  it  still 

Will  lead  me  on, 
O'er  moor  and  fen,  o'er  crag  and  torrent,  till 

The  night  is  gone. 

Lead  Thou  me  on 

Keep  Thou  my  feet:  I  do  not  ask  to  see 
The  distant  scene; — one  step  enough  for  me." 


March  5. 

now    cruelly    sweet    are    the    echoes    that 

start, 

When   memory  plays   an   old   tune  on  the 
heart. " 
and — 

"Where  is  the  heart  that  doth  not  keep, 

Within  its  inmost  core 
Some  fond  remembrance  hidden  deep, 
Of  days  that  are  no  more?" 

Of  Mrs.  Susan  Lincoln  Mills,  it  may  be  truthfully 
said  that  "To  live  in  hearts  we  leave  behind  is 
not  to  die. ' '  Mrs.  Mills  lives  in  the  hearts  of  more 
women  today  than  any  other  woman  in  California. 
Not  only  in  California  is  her  name  revered,  but  in 
almost  every  State  in  the  Union  and  in  many 
foreign  lands,  for  her  pupils  came  from  all  parts 
of  the  world. 

Mrs.  Mills'  weekly  half-hour  talks  in  Seminary 
Hall  had  a  wonderful  influence  upon  me.  They 
were  motherly  heart-to-heart  talks.  Her  advice 
was  always  good.  She  retained  wonderful  power 
over  the  girls  because  she  was  cautious  and  not 
severe  in  her  counsels.  Often,  at  these  talks,  have 
I  heard  her  repeat,  "Handsome  is  as  handsome 
does, ' '  and 

"Thy  friend  has  a  friend,  thy  friend's  friend 
has  a  friend:  be  cautious." 

She  always  admonished  us  to  follow  the  Golden 
Eule. 

"It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive"  was 
one  of  her  favorite  quotations.  She  gave  all  she 
had  to  her  beloved  school  and  students — her  time, 
energy,  strength,  love,  and  money.  To  the  mission- 
ary cause  in  India  she  gave  several  of  the  best 
years  of  her  life.  My  interest  in  foreign  missions 
dates  from  the  day  I  joined,  through  her  influence, 
the  Tolman  Band  and  became  part  owner  in  the 
little  missionary  steamer  "Morning  Star,"  then 
plying  between  the  Hawaiian  and  the  South  Sea 
Islands.  I  also  remember  how  we  sewed  for  days, 
making  pajamas  for  the  needy  children  in  India. 


March  6. 

MRS.  MILLS  showed  particular  interest  in  three 
of  the  most  import  events  of  my  life. 
First:  She  and  Miss  Tolman  were  guests  at 
my  wedding;  this  1  deemed  a  great  honor.  Second: 
She  was  always  more  than  interested  in  my  son, 
from  his  infancy  to  the  day  of  her  death.  Third: 
At  the  dedication  of  a  Memorial  Church  to  my 
sainted  Mother,  when  ministers  of  all  the  churches 
of  Stockton  brought  greetings  from  their  congrega- 
tions, a  most  beautiful  and  loving  greeting  came 
from  dear  Mrs.  Mills,  in  behalf  of  the  church  of 
Mills  College.  This  message  was  delivered  from 
the  pulpit  of  the  Memorial  Church  that  memorable 
evening  of  March  20,  1910. 

Mrs.  Mills  was  always  sympathetic;  always  active 
and  alert.  The  girls  often  said,  "Mrs.  Mills  is 
always  everywhere  at  the  same  time." 

I  have  never  heard  any  one  with  such  a  wonderful 
gift  of  prayer.  Her  memory  was  marvelous.  Years 
could  pass  and  yet  she  never  forgot  the  face  or 
name  of  one  of  her  girls.  I  recall  a  letter  received 
years  after  the  graduation  of  my  sister  Mary  and 
myself.  In  it  she  wrote:  "I  never  pass  number  9 
without  thinking  of  you  girls. ' '  We  occupied  that 
room  together  for  three  years. 

Two  years  before  her  death,  Mrs.  Mills  was  a 
guest  in  my  home  for  three  days.  Eighty-five  years 
of  age,  her  step  had  lost  its  elasticity  to  a  degree 
she  would  not  allow  herself  to  realize.  While  assist- 
ing her  up  the  steps  of  my  home,  she  stopped,  turned 
to  me  with  a  smile  and  said,  "My  dear,  I  am  not 
feeble;  I  am  only  cautious."  After  luncheon  we 
visited  some  of  her  graduates;  the  next  day  at- 
tended a  Mills  Club  reception;  Sunday  morning  she 
addressed  a  Sunday  School,  taking  for  her  topic, 
"The  Good  Shepherd."  She  attended  church  both, 
morning  and  evening;  Monday  morning  took  a  long 
drive,  and  left  the  same  day  at  noon  for  her  home. 
It  was  the  last  time  I  ever  looked  upon  her  blessed 
faee. 


March  7. 

WE    all    loved    Mrs.    Mills   dearly,  and   those 
who  were  privileged  to  be  with  her  for  a 
year    as    graduating    students    appreciated 
fully  her  wonderful  qualities  and  nature. 


Her  memory  is  indeed  a  precious  heritage. 

Dr.  E.  E.  Dille. 

"We  older  girls  who  saw  so  much  of  dear  Mrs. 
Mills  should  feel  rich  to  have  been  under  her  per- 
sonal care,  and  there  are  so  many  things — good, 
clever,  witty  and  all,  that  I  know  will  come  to  me 
when  this  is  mailed. ' ' 


"We  all  know  and  feel  the  wonderful  influence 
Mrs.  Mills  left  with  all  who  associated  with  her." 


"The  divine  harmony  which  she  knew  and  real- 
ized in  her  every-day  life,  reflected  itself  on  all  who 
walked  with  her.  And  we  all  feel  the  more  grateful 
to  her  as  we  look  back  and  see  in  perspective  the 
qualities  we  so  much  loved." 


"Keep  for  ns,  O  friend  where'er 
Thou  art  waiting,  all  that  here 
Made  thy  earthly  presence  dear. 

Keep  the  human  heart  of  thee: 
Let  the  mortal  only  be 
Clothed  in  immortality." 


March  8. 

Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfet  peace,  whose  mind  ii  stayed 
on  thee:  because  he  trusteth  in  Thee. — la.  26:3. 

Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  five  unto  you:  not 
as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  yon.  Let  not  your  heart 
be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid.— John  14:27. 

The  way  of  the  Lord  is  strength  to  the  upright. — Prov. 
10:29. 


MB.  AND  MBS.  MILLS  always  said  that  they 
enjoyed  hearing  me  sing,  and  upon  the  sug- 
gestion of  my  instructor,  Mr.  Kelleher,  that 
it  would  be  well  for  me  to  sing  as  often  as  possible 
with  the  idea  in  the  future  of  an  operatic  or  con- 
cert career,  they  became  especially  interested  in  the 
training  of  my  voice. 

One  would  think  that  such  a  life  as  the  opera 
suggested  would  be  far  from  the  thought  of  Mrs. 
Mills,  particularly  thirty  years  ago,  but,  to  the  con- 
trary, she  was  so  broad-minded  that  she  quite  ap- 
proved of  the  idea  and  would  say: 

"My  child,  your  voice  is  God's  gift  to  you;  make 
the  most  of  it.  Won 't  your  father  send  you  to  Eu- 
rope, or  East,  to  study?" 

(As  it  is  in  Mrs.  Mills'  traits  of  character  we  are 
interested,  I  trust  the  personal  reference  will  be 
understood.) 


Hast  thou  not  known  ?  hast  thou  not  heard,  that  the 
everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the  Creator  of  the  ends  of  the 
earth,  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary? 

He  giveth  power  to  the  faint;  and  to  them  that  hath 
no  might  he  increaseth  strength. — Is.  40:28,29. 


March  9. 

MRS.  MILLS  often  took  me  in  her  confidence 
about    things    connected    with    the    school. 
One  evening — I  had  not  been  well — she  saw 
me   standing  near  the  porch  as  she  was  about  to 
start  in  the  old-fashioned  buggy  on  an  errand  down 
the  road.     Noticing  I  had  no  wrap,  she  rushed  into 
the  house  and  brought  out  a  black  shawl  and  one  of 
her  black  garden  hats — she  had  on  the  other.     The 
girls  were  greatly  amused  as  we  rode  out  together, 
each  with  an  old  black  garden  hat  on. 

What  good  times  we  often  had!  What  jolly 
frolicking  times  when  she  seemed  to  enjoy  our 
pranks  as  much  as  we  ourselves.  She  was  never 
old  in  spirit  while  I  knew  her.  There  were  cares 
that  tried  her  sorely,  that  at  times  made  her  short 
and  quick,  but  her  soul  was  always  young,  in  sym- 
pathy with  youth  and  its  joys,  and  a  lover  of  the 
flowers  that  bloom  in  every  part  of  the  dear  old 
College  grounds. 

Once  during  one  of  the  winter  vacations — I  gen- 
erally spent  them  at  Mills — we  were  having  even- 
ing prayers  in  one  of  the  small  rooms  where  there 
was  no  organ.  As  a  minister's  daughter,  it  was 
my  honor  to  start  the  hymns.  I  started  the  hymn; 
it  kept  getting  lower  and  lower;  my  face  was 
flushing  as  one  by  one  those  present  dropped  out 
until  Mrs.  Mills  and  I  were  having  a  duet.  With 
a  twinkle  in  her  eye,  she  turned  to  me  and  said, 
' '  Nora,  can 't  we  sing  something  we  all  know  and 
a  little  higher?"  Another  hymn  was  given  out. 
Nora  started  it  good  and  high,  but  it  was  one  of 
those  climbing  hymns,  and  kept  soaring  higher  and 
higher,  until  again  there  was  only  the  duet,  finally 
only  a  solo — by  Nora.  It  was  a  rosy-faced  embar- 
assed  singer  who  was  often  twitted  by  Mrs.  Mills 
about  the  hymns  that  holiday-time. 

But  she  was  as  often  praised  for  her  efforts,  so 
felt  only  good- will  and  a  willingness  to  "try 
again. ' ' 


March  10. 

MANY  days  passed,  even  years  after  my  grad- 
uation, and  when  I  came  again  to  Mills  it 
was  with  my  three  little  ones,  and  at  Mrs. 
Mills'  urgent  invitation.     It  seemed  an  imposition 
almost,  but  it  illustrated  her  big  heart  of  hospitality 
to  welcome  home  her  old  children.     I  went  because 
I  felt  it  might  be  the  last  time  I  would  ever  be 
there   with   her.     How  glad  I  am  that  I  went  at 
that  time! 

At  parting  she  gave  me  a  little  silver  vase;  one 
that  had  been  a  wedding  gift  to  her,  and  one  that 
had  been  in  constant  use. 

How  impotent  are  a  few  words  in  trying  to 
express  the  memories  of  the  years  that  are  gone! 

Dear  Mills,  among  the  eucalypti  and  pines,  oaks 
and  roses!  From  the  bay  comes  the  tang  of  salt 
water;  from  the  hills  the  pungent  scent  of  tar- 
weed,  and  to  my  heart,  the  memory  and  love  of  her 
to  whom,  if  there  is  any  good  accomplished,  any 
worthy  deed  done,  I  ow»  it  all. 


March  11. 

"A  Eestful  Visit." 

RETURNING    from    her   visit    to    Mt.    Holyoke, 
Mrs.  Mills  came  to  us,  the  Scoville  School, 
2042  Fifth  avenue,  for  a  visit  of  several  days. 
After  her  return  to  Mills  College,  so  truly  her  life 
work,    she    wrote   in    grateful    appreciation    of   the 
"restful  visit"  here.    Her  idea  of  restfulness  is  in- 
teresting, a  review  of  two  days,  the  hottest  of  early 
summer,  serving  in  illustration. 

An  early  breakfast  had  been  ordered,  yet  she 
had  dictated  sixteen  letters  to  her  secretary  before 
she  came  down.  Immediately  after  breakfast  we 
went  by  street-car  to  Columbia  University,  visiting 
Barnard  and  Teachers  College.  With  keenest  in- 
terest Mrs.  Mills  walked  briskly  from  building  to 
building,  and  chatted  appreciatively  with  the  Dean 
and  others.  We  returned  for  luncheon  and  without 
a  moment's  rest  walked  the  two  short  blocks,  mak- 
ing our  train  for  the  Grand  Central  Station  by  a 
hair's  breadth.  Walking  along  Forty-second  street, 
Mrs.  Mills  visited  a  large  hardware  store,  interested 
in  seeing  latest  inventions  and  improvements  in 
housekeeping  utensils.  An  electric  lantern  for  the 
watchman  especially  pleased  her.  By  street-car  we 
went  to  Twenty-third  street,  then  the  central  shop- 
ping district,  where  she  purchased  gifts  for  the 
maids  at  the  College.  She  walked  along  Fifth 
avenue  all  the  way  back  to  the  Waldorf  Hotel, 
visiting  en  route  the  bric-a-brac  stores  in  search  of 
tea  pots  for  her  collection.  At  the  Waldorf,  I  left 
her  in  the  reading  room  writing  busily,  while  I 
went  to  the  telephone  booth  to  order  a  motor  han- 
som— they  were  just  then  coming  into  use — and  it 
was  the  first  ride  Mrs.  Mills  had  had  in  one.  She 
was  as  delighted  and  as  surprised  as  a  child,  and 
enjoyed  the  beautiful  views  of  Central  Park  and 
along  the  Hudson.  We  arrived  in  time  for  supper. 
Mt.  Holyoke  friends  called  later,  and  it  was  ten 
o'clock  before  that  first  restful  day  ended  for  her. 

(See  March  13) 


March  12. 

And  let  the  beauty  of  the  Lord  our  Ood  be  upon  us; 
and  establish  thou  the  work  of  our  hands  upon  us;  yea 
the  work  of  our  hands,  establish  thou  it. — Psalm  90:17. 


MILLS  SEMINARY  AND  COLLEGE  have  from 
the  beginning  been  under  the  influence  and 
direction    of   a   woman   of   remarkable   per- 
sonality, devotion,  and  force  of  character. 

Insistent  and  gentle,  far-seeing  and  with  won- 
derful knowledge  of  details,  intensely  practical  and 
deeply  spiritual,  rare  in  power  of  organization  and 
teaching,  Mrs.  Mills  has  promoted  the  welfare  of 
this  institution  and  all  the  influences  it  has  exerted. 

Beside  her  husband,  at  first,  but  for  the  last 
twenty-five  years  without  him,  but  surrounded  by 
helpers  and  friends,  Mrs.  Mills  has  erected  an  in- 
stitution of  financial  worth,  of  great  educational 
value,  and  of  enduring  spiritual  influence. 

It  is  rarely  given  any  institution  to  be  under  the 
guidance  of  a  leader  for  up  toward  fifty  years, 
and  such  an  institution  must  have  imperishably 
engraved  upon  its  life  and  character,  and  upon  ita 
influence — the  purpose  and  will  of  its  guide. 

Educated  useful  Christian  womanhood  is  inscribed 
over  every  portal  to  Mills  College  and  in  thousands 
of  hearts,  as  the  purpose  of  her  whom  all  its  stu- 
dents have  known  face  to  face  and  loved. 

On  May  eighteenth,  nineteen  hundred  nine,  our 
beloved  Mrs.  Mills  resigned  &a  President  of  Mills 
College  after  forty-four  years  of  active  service. 

It  is  part  of  the  sacred  inheritance  of  the  institu- 
tion that  Mrs.  Mills  remains  with  us  as  President 
Emeritus,  giving  her  love  and  counsel. 


March  13. 

That    our    daughters    may   be    as    corner-stones,    polished 
after   the   similitude  of  a  palace. — Psalm  144:12. 


M 


ES.  MILLS  is  a  constant  inspiration  to  me, 
and  I  keep  her  picture  here  where  all  my 
pupils  may  see  it  every  morning. 

I  think  of  what  she  said  to  me  when  first  I  came 
to  Mills.  "My  dear,  always  use  your  voice  for  the 
glory  of  God." 

I  am  enclosing  a  quotation  she  often  used,  and 
I  think  of  many  more,  but  they  are  ones  she  read  so 
often  to  us  that  those  will  be  given  many  times 
over. 

This  year  has  made  me  realize  more  than  ever 
what  Mills  did  for  me.  In  all  my  lecture  recital 
work,  I  am  commended  also  for  my  poise,  and  know 
...  it  was  Mills  that  brought  it  out.  Can  you 
imagine  my  giving  a  lecture?  I  can  do  it,  never- 
theless. 


The  heat  of  the  day  was  almost  unbearable,  but 
Mrs.  Mills  went  by  train  from  New  York  to  the 
home  of  Mrs.  Dodge  in  Massachusetts.  She  wore 
a  black  cloth  dress  and  a  crepe  veil,  but  her  eager 
spirit  seemed  unconscious  of  outer  conditions.  In 
the  evening  we  went  to  meet  her.  Every  one 
seemed  overcome  by  the  heat — hatless  women  and 
collarless  men  moving  languidly  on  their  way. 

As  the  train  we  were  waiting  for  stopped,  an 
alert  little  figure  stepped  to  the  platform  and  has- 
tened toward  us  with  glowing  face.  Her  first  words 
were,  "My  dear  friend  has  given  me  a  check 
towards  the  new  building!"  No  thought  of  self; 
no  word  of  the  long  train  ride  in  the  unbearable 
heat.  To  her  it  was  another  restful  day. 


March  14. 

I  HAVE    been    thinking    so    much    lately    of     the 
Christmas  vacation  Mrs.  Mills  and  I  spent  to- 
gether  in   Southern   California.     She  was   wel- 
comed everywhere  with  open  arms,  and  I  have  so 
many  happy  memories  of  that  visit. 

We  were  gone  almost  a  month,  and  I  never  had 
a  dearer  travelling  companion.  She  was  always 
thoughtful  of  the  comfort  of  others,  and  I  used  to 
marvel  at  the  kind  things  she  did  for  people  who 
were  almost  strangers. 

I  never  think  of  that  trip  that  I  am  not  reminded 
of  the  time  I  tried  to  dress  her  hair.  She  was 
going  to  an  important  function  the  following  day, 
and  I  was  particularly  anxious  that  she  should  look 
well;  therefore  I  insisted  that  evening  at  trying 
my  hand  at  her  coiffure. 

The  next  morning  in  taking  out  the  pins,  to  my 
distress,  one  side  was  as  kinky  as  possible  while 
the  other  side  was  woefully  straight,  without  a 
wave.  ' '  Well,  my  dear,  it  didn  't  come  out  very 
well,  did  itf"  was  all  she  said.  I  have  loved  her 
all  the  more  for  that  moment. 

She  patiently  sat  for  an  hour  on  that  busy  morn- 
ing, while  I  clumsily  tried  to  make  amends  by 
kinking  the  straight  side  with  irons.  She  never 
seemed  sweeter  and  more  lovable  to  me  than  she 
did  on  that  occasion. 


March  15. 

A  TRIBUTE. 

1WAS  very  young  when  I  entered  Mills  for  the 
special  purpose  of  studying  music. 

At  first  I  was  impressed  with  the  beauty  of 
the  surroundings;  these  I  constantly  associated 
with  Mrs.  Mills.  To  me  they  were  the  outward 
expression  of  her  innate  love  for  order  and  beauty. 

Later  I  realized  that  a  sense  of  charm  of  girl- 
hood was  another  and  a  higher  attribute  of  her 
nature. 

To  her  the  flowers  of  life  were  as  precious  as  its 
fruits.  There  was  nothing  of  the  old  "blue-stock- 
ing" in  her  schooling;  to  her  beauty  of  person 
and  grace  of  manner  were  to  be  preserved  for  the 
adornments  of  learning. 

She  rejoiced  with  her  girls  in  their  solid  pleasures 
and  was  tolerant  of  their  frivolities. 

There  was  none  of  the  cloister  about  this  home 
for  students,  for  hospitality  was  another  of  her 
graces.  She  entertained  liberally  and  graciously — 
imparting  to  her  pupils  the  refinement  of  the  art. 

She  knew  her  pupils  individually,  and  was  keen 
to  detect  special  tendencies  where  unusual  talent 
in  some  special  line  was  manifest. 

She  was  most  solicitous  for  the  development  of 
any  such  talent,  and  through  her  generosity  or  in- 
fluence the  fortunate  possessor  had  extended  ad- 
vantages. To  my  mind  her  broadest  influence,  her 
strongest  hold  upon  pupil  and  parent  was  here. 

She  was  not  so  deep,  perchance,  as  she  was  broad. 
The  school  could  never  grow  so  large  that  her 
brooding  wings  could  not  cover  all. 


March  16. 

RECIPES  from  Mrs.  Mills'  collection.      On  the 
original  of  the  first  one  written,  the  ink  is 
faded  and  the  paper  bears  evidence  of  being 
many  years  old. 

MRS.  TOLMAN'S  SPICED  CURRANTS. 

Take  6  or  7  pounds  of  currants  to  4  pounds  sugar 
— 1  pint  Vinegar,  1  ounce  cloves,  1  of  allspice,  1  of 
cinnamon. 

Cook  one  hour — slow. 


CARROT  PUDDING. 

One  cup  of  grated  carrots. 
One  cup  of  grated  potato. 
One  teaspoonful  of  soda  in  potato. 
One  cup  of  brown  sugar. 
One  and  one-half  cup  of  flour. 
Butter  the  size  of  an  egg. 
One  cup  of  chopped  raisins. 
One  cup  of  chopped  walnuts. 
One  teaspoonful  of  cinnamon. 
One  teaspoonful  of  cloves. 
One  teaspoonful  of  nutmeg. 
Steam  two  hours. 


MILLS  BROWN  BREAD. 
For  Two  Loaves. 

1  cup  New  Orleans  molasses  (black),  stirred  into  1% 
cup  of  hot  water. 

1%  cup  of  yeast. 

Equal  parts  of  white  and  graham  flour;  a  little  salt. 

Make  the  batter  thinner  than  for  white  bread. 

When  well  risen,  knead  lightly  into  loaves.  Keep  in 
a  warm  place.  Let  it  rise  quickly  the  second 
time,  and  bake  with  moderate  heat. 


March  17. 

1  COULD  write  on  and  on,  for  Mrs.  Mills  seems 
so  close  to-night,  and  the  memories  of  her  and 
of  my  early  childhood  so  vivid.     There  was  a 
beautiful  bond  between  us,  and  I  loved  her  with  all 
my  heart,  sharing  my  deep  affection  for  her  with 
only  my  Father  and  Mother.     All  my  life  I  went 
to  her  with  my  joys  and  sorrows,  great  or  small, 
knowing    she    would    understand.      I    never    had    a 
secret  from  her. 

Whether  as  a  young  school-girl  curled  up  at  her 
feet  before  the  comfortable  fire  in  her  sitting-room, 
or  walking  out  over  her  favorite  path  towards  the 
lake,  my  arm  tucked  in  hers,  or  driving  along  the 
highway  behind  the  trusty  old  horses  and  faithful 
Michael,  that  happiness  and  contentment  I  felt  in 
her  sweet  companionship,  were  always  the  same. 

The  little  card  I  found  yesterday  speaks  so 
eloquently  of  her  wonderful  kindness  and  her  lov- 
ing care  of  me  while  I  was  at  Mills.  "Dear  Child, 
I  wish  you  would  stay  in  bed  today  and  so  get 
rested  and  well.  Don't  get  up  until  I  see  you. ' ' 
Could  an  own  mother  be  more  tender? 


Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of 
the  ungodly;  nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners,  nor  sitteth 
in  the  seat  of  the  scornful. — Ps.  1:1. 

First,  we  walk  with  an  undesirable  companion,  and  if 
we  let  the  friendliness  grow,  we  stand  and  talk;  after  that, 
we  allow  ourselves  to  sit  and  foster  an  intimacy.  Think 
of  this  verse  when  choosing  your  friends.  Do  not  make  a 
bosom  friend  of  one  who  scoffs  at  religion. 

Remember:    Walketh;   Standeth;   Sitteth. 


I 


March  18. 

AM  copying  a  part  of  a  letter.  It  is  so  char- 
acteristic and  shows  how  she  followed  every 
detail  of  college  life. 

The  letter  was  written  December  10,  1908,  after  a 
visit  with  us.  She  writes  first  of  her  visit,  then 
goes  on  to  say:  "I  had  a  delightful  time  at 

Eugene.     Miss  C met  us  with  a  carriage  and 

showed  us  about.  After  dinner  in  the  new  dor- 
mitory we  had  a  reception  at  the  home  of  the 
President  of  the  University,  and  I  saw  a  great 
many  of  the  faculty  and  their  wives.  At  half- 
past  twelve  we  took  the  train. 

"We  had  breakfast  in  our  drawing-room  next 
morning  (keeping  up  my  Portland  habits  you  see). 
We  arrived  at  the  pier  fifteen  minutes  late,  so  just 
missed  our  train  and  had  to  wait  at  Sather  an  hour. 
Our  man  had  come  down  to  meet  us,  and  took  our 
bags.  We  were  safely  home  a  little  after  eleven, 
where  a  warm  welcome  awaited  us. 

"The  Senior  Middle  Class  met  us  with  a  song 
at  the  door  of  my  room,  and  I  found  pretty  decora- 
tions and  some  beautiful  gifts.  Among  others,  a 
little  afternoon  tea-set  for  giving  my  friends  a 
cup  of  tea.  This  was  a  gift  from  the  Collegiate 
Girls.  The  Junior  Middle  girls  presented  me  with 
a  beautiful  white  and  gold  pennant  for  the  College. 

"My  dog  Teddy,  of  course,  welcomed  me,  and 
hardly  has  left  me  a  minute  since  I  arrived. 

(See  March  20.) 


Make  me   to  go   in   the  path  of  thy  commandments;    for 
therein  do   I  delight. — Ps.   119:5. 


Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man  cleanse  his  way!  by 
taking  heed  thereto  according  to  thy  word. 

Thy  word  have  I  hid  in  my  heart,  that  I  might  not  sin 
against  thee. — Ps.  119:9,11. 


O  how  I  love  thy  lawl  it  is  my  meditation  all  the  day.— 
Ps.  119:97. 


March  19. 

DESIRE  TOLMAN 

Bora  1748;  died  1834 

Mrs.  Mills'  Paternal  Grandfather 

44J-XESIRE    TOLMAN 'S    name   appears   on    the 

II     record  of  Eevolutionary  War  Service  with 

rank  of  Private  on  Lexington  Alarm  Boll 

of    Lieutenant    Hopestill    Hall's    (2nd)    Company, 

which  marched  on  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775,  from 

Dorchester." 

"For  a  long  time  deacon  of  the  First  Church  in 
Winchendon. ' ' 

"Much  lamented  by  a  town  whose  weal  he 
fought  and  liberties  defended." 

It  was  for  Deacon  Desire  Tolman  that  his  cousin, 
Samuel  Tolman,  when  over  seventy-five  years  of 
age,  wrote  an  interesting  bit  of  family  history; 
extracts  of  which  are  given  under  date  of  Novem- 
ber 13. 

The  official  records  of  the  Eevolutionary  War 
service  of  this  grandfather,  were  the  credentials 
that  admitted  Mrs.  Mills  into  membership  of  the 
National  Society  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution. 


March  20. 

(From  March  18.) 

DR.  B has  just  been  over  to  see  me;  took 
a    little    cold    on    the    way    down    and    she 
wanted  to  look  after  it  at  once.    She  reported 
Hannah  and  Michael  as  both  doing  well. 

"As  it  rained  the  basketball  game  between  the 
College  and  Seminary  girls  was  played  in  the  Gym- 
nasium. The  College  girls  won  25  to  7,  much  to 
their  gratification. 

"The  Oregon  apples  arrived  before  I  did,  in  fine 
condition.  I  had  a  letter  from  Mr.  B ,  acknowl- 
edging his  as  'perfect  pictures,'  and  'very  fine  to 
the  taste'  he  says. 

"It  is  clear  and  beautiful  today.  I  have  much  to 
do,  so  only  send  you  this  greeting  now,"  etc. 

A  sweet  letter  isn't  it!  It  is  getting  late  and  I 
must  stop,  but  I  want  to  say  what  a  happy  evening 
I  have  had  reviewing  these  little  incidents  which 
have  brought  to  my  mind  so  vividly  the  best  friend 
I  ever  had. 

Do  you  remember  Judge  Morrow's  sentiments! 
"Loving  regard  for  her  useful  life,  grateful 
acknowledgment  of  her  moral  worth,  and  with 
kindly  appreciation  of  her  loving  soul." 


March  21. 

THE  last  few  days  have  been  filled  with  happy 
memories,  for  I  have  been  re-living  my  years 
at  school  and  thinking  much  of  our  beloved 
Mrs.  Mills. 

To  my  joy,  I  found  tucked  away  in  an  old  trunk 
a  number  of  beautiful  and  characteristic  letters, 
some  of  them  written  when  I  was  a  tiny  child. 
They  just  overflow  with  loving-kindness  and  my 
eyes  have  been  moist  most  of  the  time  as  I  have 
recalled  the  many  dear  expressions  of  her  aifection 
and  of  her  wonderful  thoughtfulness. 

Quite  as  much,  almost,  as  my  own  mother,  does 
Mrs.  Mills  fill  the  memories  of  my  childhood  days. 
Yes,  even  my  baby  days,  for  my  first  recollection 
of  her  is  a  confused  picture  in  which  she  is  assisting 
me  to  grab  table  legs  as  I  tottered  along  learning 
to  take  my  first  steps  on  my  first  visit  to  Mills 
College. 

My  next  remembrance  of  her  is  at  Christmas 
time  when  I  was  about  three.  I  had  shut  myself 
up  in  the  attic  while  I  tried  to  make  a  waist  for 
my  beloved  grandmother  out  of  a  faded  but  to 
my  mind  very  beautiful  blue  piano  scarf.  I  en- 
countered extreme  difficulties,  but  patiently  worked 
upon  my  labor  of  love  until  I  pronounced  it  finished 
and  bore  it  in  triumph  to  mother  who  had  just 
begun  to  fill  "Grandmother's"  Christmas  box. 


March  22. 

EVERY  ONE  will  testify  to  her  alertness  of 
mind,  her  rare  executive  ability,  her  unpar- 
alleled generosity  and  her  untiring  devotion 
to  her  work.  It  was  her  habit  to  give  the  news  of 
the  day  to  the  assembled  household  after  evening 
prayers.  I  recall  one  night  when  pressed  for  time 
she  seemingly  merely  glanced  at  the  newspaper, 
but  was  able  to  give  details  of  the  important  topics 
as  was  her  custom.  Mr.  Mills  said  to  me  admir- 
ingly, "How  does  she  do  it!  Isn't  she  a  marvel f" 
And  indeed  she  was  a  marvel  in  many  ways. 

Two  familiar  sayings  to  her  girls:  "Make  your- 
self intelligent  on  every  important  subject  that 
comes. ' ' 

"What  if  every  one  should  do  this?"  referring 
to  some  act  of  omission  or  commission  on  the  part 
of  an  individual,  "remember  that  you  are  one  of 
many. ' ' 

"He  pleased  not  Himself"  was  one  of  her  oft- 
repeated  Bible  quotations.  This  doubtless  had  its 
influence  in  her  utter  forgetfulness  of  self  through 
life. 

She  had  a  great  love  for  the  beautiful  in  nature, 
especially  for  flowers.  The  luxuriant  Lady  Banksia 
rose  over  the  front  entrance  of  the  College  "grow- 
ing," as  she  used  to  say,  "like  Jack's  beanstalk," 
was  her  pride  and  joy.  So,  all  the  gardens  were 
her  delight. 

Neglect  of  duty  annoyed  her.  She  came  to  my 
room  one  day  in  a  disturbed  state  of  mind,  because 
some  one  had  failed  to  carry  out  her  directions,  and 
said,  "  'If  you  want  anything  done,  do  it  yourself.' 
Now  just  bear  that  in  mind  and  it  will  stand  you  in 
good  stead  all  your  days. "  And  it  has  so  proved. 

I  knew  this  wonderful  woman  first  in  1872,  and 
saw  her  only  twice  after  18§3. 


March  23. 

(For  a  birthday  of  March  22.) 

1  THINK   of  Mrs.   Mills  often   and  lovingly.     So 
many  people   do  admirable  things — are  fine  in 
this  or  that,  .have  capacity — but  few  there  be 
whose  minds  are  large;  who  see  wide  and  far;  and 
whose   characters  are   like.     Such  few  impress  all 
who  come  in  contact  "will  they  nil  they." 

Mrs.  Mills  was  full  of  human  nature,  and  back 
in  my  mind  is  a  strong  impression  that  it  was  Dr. 
Mills'  tenacity  of  purpose  in  his  life-work  that  made 
hers.  His  the  power  behind  the  throne,  and  hers, 
the  woman's  affection  and  devotion  that  determined 
the  path  she  followed. 

I  can  think  of  her  as  filling  any  position;  a 
woman  great,  outside  of  circumstances. 

She  failed  not  emotionally — the  rock  on  which 
so  many  lovable  women  do.  Unswerving,  broad, 
seeking  her  purpose,  using  every  power  within  for 
her  goal,  but  not  using  other  people's  material 
mental.  She  cared  absolutely  nothing  for  the  gew- 
gaws of  the  mind,  and  her  delight  in  the  pretty 
things  of  life  made  her  a  dear  woman. 

When  she  pointed  out  the  improvements,  it  waa 
not  with  a  sneer  at  the  past,  it  was  growth;  she 
kept  up  with  the  present  without  depreciating  the 
Past — a  fault  that  besets,  so  much,  the  effort  of  ad- 
justment. 

I  wish  I  could  do  her  justice. 


March  24. 

HER    magnanimity    was     great.      Some     of     us 
thoughtless,  dealt  her  a  cruel  blow,  an  intuit, 
an  injury  to  her  pride,  a  hurt  to  her  affec- 
tions,  yet    she   forgave   generously,   and   said,   "I 
know  you  did  not  think;  it  was  the  school-girl  atti- 
tude. ' ' 

Not  one  woman  in  a  million  could  have  so  spoken. 
For  in  the  light  of  my  own  maturity  I  appreciate 
that,  and  the  children  of  the  seventies  were  the  real 
fulfillment  of  her  life. 

"  'Blessed  be  nothing,'  as  Jennie  says,"  she  ex- 
claimed every  time  we  moved  our  impedimenta  in 
traveling,  and  the  expression  always  came  to  mind 
when  I  saw  Miss  Tolman,  for  it  made  me  see  them 
as  young  sisters. 


And  whosoever  shall  give  you  a  cup  of  cold  water  to 
drink  in  my  name,  because  ye  belong  to  Christ,  verily  I  i»y 
unto  you,  he  shall  not  lose  his  reward. — Mark  9:41. 


If  it  be  possible,  as  much  as  lieth  in  you,  live  peaceably 
with  all  men. 

Dearly   beloved,    avenge    not    yourselves   but   rather   give 
place  unto  wrath. — Rom.   12:18,19. 


Consider  the  lilies  how  they  grow:  they  toil  not,  they 
spin  not:  and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  Solomon  in  all  his 
glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these. 

If  then  God  so  clothe  the  grass,  which  is  today  in  the 
field,  and  tomorrow  is  cast  into  the  oven ;  how  much  mors 
will  he  clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith! — Luke  12:27,28. 


March  25. 

BEFOEE   Mr.   Mills  was   married,   he  boarded  in 
my  grandfather's  family  (Leavitt  Hallock,  Sr.) 
and  taught  in  the  public  school,  which  took  in 
eight    of    my    grandfather's    children,    among    them 
my  mother. 

Mr.  Mills  wanted  to  go  as  a  foreign  missionary, 
but  single  persons  were  not  accepted.  My  grand- 
father knew  Susan  Tolman  (see  May  29)  of  Mt. 
Holyoke  Seminary,  and  thinking  the  two,  most 
suited  to  each  other,  brought  about  an  acquaintance 
which  resulted  in  their  marriage. 

Mr.  Mills  was  in  some  debt,  incurred  in  obtain- 
ing his  education.  As  the  "Board"  would  not 
send  out  missionaries  who  were  in  debt  my  grand- 
father paid  the  debt  for  him  that  he  might  not 
be  hindered  in  his  undertaking. 

I  will  say  that  afterwards  the  bread  cast  upon 
the  waters  by  my  grandfather  returned  many  fold. 
When  years  later,  my  father  on  account  of  serious 
lung  trouble  went  with  my  mother  to  California, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  insisted  upon  taking  them  right 
into  their  school  home  in  Benicia  and  did  for  them 
as  for  an  own  brother  and  sister. 


March  26. 

THEY  were  the  most  generous  and  the  kindest- 
hearted  people  I  ever  knew.    They  didn't  do 
things    to    get    something    back,    but   out   of 
pure    kindness    of    heart    and    to    make    the    world 
better  and   happier.     I  don't  think   that  any  one 
person  can  realize  what  they  did  for  others. 

I  believe  that  both  they,  and  Miss  Tolman  also, 
were  born  teachers.  They  made  us  do  our  own 
thinking.  My  eyes  were  first  opened  to  what  lit- 
erature was,  or  is,  when  in  Mrs.  Mills'  class  in 
Milton 's  ' '  Paradise  Lost. ' '  Mr.  Mills,  in  his  Mental 
Philosophy  class,  opened  a  wide  world  to  myf 
cramped-up  mind. 

We  all  know  how  quick  Mrs.  Mills  was.  She 
would  send  a  girl  on  an  errand  at  the  other  end  of 
the  building,  and  often  be  there  herself  ahead  of 
the  girl  to  make  sure  the  errand  was  done. 

I  think  they  were  two  as  true  Christian  people 
from  the  depths  of  their  heart  as  I  about  ever  knew. 
Their  failings  and  inconsistencies  were  fewer  than 
those  of  most  Christians. 

The  College  was  their  very  life  and  they  were 
hard  workers  for  its  prosperity. 


March  27. 

When  I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers, 
the  moon  and  the  stars,  which  thou  hast  ordained; 

What  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him?  and  the 
son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him? 

For  thou  hast  made  him  a  little  lower  than  the  angels, 
and  hast  crowned  him  with  glory  and  honour. — Ps.  8:3-5. 


women  are  what  God  destined  they 
should  be,  rich  blessings  to  the  world.  Some 
spend  all  their  strength  in  seeking  to  bring 
light  and  joy  into  the  dark  lives  of  others,  and  pass- 
ing on  they  leave  a  track  of  sunshine  so  that  those 
who  follow  in  life's  road — who  falter  along  its 
weary  way — are  cheered  by  the  certainty  of  that 
life  and  love." 

I  feel  that  Mrs.  Mills  was  such  a  woman;  a  rich 
blessing  to  the  world.  But  for  her  kindness,  are 
there  not  hundreds  and  hundreds  that  would  not 
have  reached  their  goal? 

Has  she  not  left  a  "track  of  sunshine"  and 
faith  so  that  those  who  follow  are  cheered  by  that 
love  and  faith  f 


Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart, 
with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind. 

This  is  the  first  and  great  commandment. 

And  the  second  is  like  unto  it,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neigh- 
bor as  thyself. — Mat.  22:37-39. 


March  28. 

The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God;  and  the  firmament 
sheweth  his  handiwork. — Ps.  19:1. 

The  heavens  are  thine,  and  the  earth  also  is  thine:  as 
for  the  world  and  its  fulness  thereof,  thou  hast  founded 
them. — Ps.  89:11. 

Know  ye  that  the  Lord  he  is  God:  it  is  he  that  hath 
made  us,  and  not  we  ourselves;  we  are  his  people  and 
the  sheep  of  his  pasture. — Ps.  100:3. 


THE  life-work  and  love  of  Mrs.  Mills  centered 
around  Mills  Seminary;  her  dream  came  true 
when  the  Seminary  became  a  College. 

Her  love  of  the  beautiful  campus  never  waned, 
but  rather  increased  as  the  years  passed. 

The  one  phase  which  meant  much  to  me  and 
which  I  will  always  bear  in  mind  was  her  love  of 
God  in  nature.  I  recall  our  study  in  Theology; 
that  was  Mrs.  Mills'  class.  In  it  I  began  to  realize 
there  was  nothing  in  this  great  universe  of  ours 
that  has  not  a  value;  that  everything  is  in  the  plan 
of  the  Creator. 

"The  blade  of  grass  which  we  trample  on, 
drinks  in  the  sunshine  and  rain  and  is  an  expression 
of  God  in  the  universe;  as  the  spring  brings  the 
renewal  of  life  in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  young 
ladies,  it  also  brings  another  lesson — it  assures  us 
of  life  after  death." 

How  those  thoughts  sank  into  my  mind  and 
taught  me  a  great  love  of  nature,  to  learn  the  les- 
sons of  the  Creator  revealed  in  His  handiwork. 

Mrs.  Mills  was  a  great  teacher,  sowing  seeds  in 
the  minds  of  her  pupils,  that  today  have  become  a 
harvest. 

God  bless  the  mother  and  let  her  know  her  daugh- 
ters call  her  blessed! 


A 


March  29. 

STOEY  that  Mrs.  Mills  was  very  fond  of  tell- 
ing was  that  of  the  way  the  women  of  India 
did  their  washing  at  the  river. 

Mr.  Mills,  it  seems,  had  a  white  shirt  with  black 
dots  in  it,  of  which  he  was  very  proud.  The  week 
he  sent  it  to  be  washed  the  woman  brought  it  back, 
and  was  quite  disconcerted  saying  that  she  had 
"washed  and  washed  it,  but  there  are  a  few  little 
dirt  spots  left;  next  time  it  will  be  nice  and 
white." 

Mrs.  Mills'  faith  in  God  and  her  love  for  Him 
were  always  an  inspiration.  One  could  not  be 
with  her  long  without  having  her  own  faith 
strengthened. 

I  copy  some  letters  Mrs.  Mills  wrote  me,  but  it 
seems  to  take  away  from  their  charm  not  to  have 
her  own  hand-writing. 

Dear  G . 

I  send  you  just  this  thought  of  love  and  hope. 

The  little  one  soon  to  be  I  trust  in  your  arms — 
God  deal  tenderly  with  mother  and  child.  What 
a  privilege  is  yours,  my  dear,  the  mother  to  be,  of 
one  that  is  to  live  forever.  Oh,  pray  daily  that  you 
may  be  worthy  of  the  high  honor  and  that  the 
child  may  be  a  blessing  to  the  parents  and  to  the 
world. 

Yours  in  tender  love, 

SUSAN  L.  MILLS. 


March  30. 

March  14,  1910. 
My  dear  G . 

I  write  at  once  to  express  my  sympathy  for  you 
and  your  mother  in  your  bereavement.  You  are 
glad  for  the  father  that  he  has  done  with  suffering. 
I  know  he  has  entered  into  rest  eternal,  sacred, 
sure.  Be  thankful,  dear  child,  that  he  has  been 
spared  to  you  so  long  and  glad  for  him  that  there 
is  no  more  suffering.  I  am  thankful  that  you  know 
in  whom  to  trust. 

Accept  much  love  and  sincere  sympathy  from 

Yours  ever  affectionately, 

8.  L.  MILLS. 


September  8,  1911. 

My  dear  Mrs.  B . 

I  write  just  a  little  word  to  tell  you  how  much 
I  enjoyed  my  visit  with  you  yesterday.  You  had 
a  delicious  luncheon,  but  I  especially  enjoyed  seeing 
your  friends,  husband,  and  little  children.  Thank 
you  for  inviting  me. 

F got  home  in  time  to  change  her  dress  and 

go  to  the  circus. 

With  much  love,  believe  me, 

Yours  affectionately, 

8.  L.  MILLS. 
Anna  Coyle  and  three  children  are  here  today. 

This  letter  again  shows  so  well  her  active  inter- 
est in  everything.  She  was  always  so  unaffected 
and  so  lovable. 


March  31. 

Give    her    of    the    fruit    of    her   hands,    and   let    her   own 
works  praise  her  in  the  gates. — Proverbs  31:31. 

"How  does  the  game  stand;    are  our  girls  win- 
ning?" 

"Well,  what  can  I  do  for  you?" 


1  CAN'T  help  thinking  of  the  time  we  won  the 
cup  at  basketball.     Even  at  her  busiest  times 
she    would    come    out    and    watch    us    practice. 
Several   times   she   threw  the  ball   which  had  not 
gone  near  the  basket  and  said,  "Now,  Genevieve, 
when  you  throw  a  ball  on  a  foul,  if  you  have  to 
miss,   throw  too   far,   for  when  it  isn't   quite   far 
enough,  it  is  too  hard  on  the  watchers." 

Then  the  day  she  brought  the  Berkeley  basket- 
ball home  with  her  from  the  big  game  there,  and 
showed  us  girls  in  the  parlor  just  how  the  team  girls 
had  slipped  and  fallen,  running  after  the  ball  on 
the  tan-bark  court! 

She  would  get  so  excited  in  the  middle  of  the 
half  and  send  some  one  quickly  to  tell  Professor 
Keep  to  call  time  lest  the  other  team  should  get  an 
advantage. 

She  was  always  so  fair  and  thoughtful,  too,  with 
the  other  team,  always  giving  them  something  to 
eat  before  going  out  so  that  they  could  do  their 
best,  too. 

At  evening  prayers  after  a  basketball  game,  she 
usually  read  the  chapter  containing  this  passage: 

Wherefore  seeing  that  we  also  are  compassed  about  with 
such  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  let  us  lay  aside  every  weight 
and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset  us,  and  let  us  run 
with  patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  us,  looking  unto 
Jesui,  the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith. — Heb.  12:1-2. 


goofc  gift  an&  rnrrg 
pwrfrrt  gift  romrtlf  bmtin 
from  tlf*  IFatljrr  nf  ligl|t. 

uuth  in  hum  is  no  uartahlr- 
urcrt.  nrithrr  r.haiiiiin  of 
turning." 


April  1. 

Rejoice  evermore. 
Pray  without  ceasing. 
In  everything  give  thanks: 

Prove  all  things:  hold  fast  to  that  which  is  good. 
Abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil. — I.  Thes.  5:16,17, 
18,  21,  22. 


w 


HILE  keen  to  the  humor  of  real  wit,  Mrs. 
Mills  was  emphatically  opposed  to  practical 
jokes  of  all  kinds. 

She  considered  a  person  willing  to  perpetrate 
them  as  not  well-balanced  in  mind. 

"It  doesn't  take  any  wit  to  play  a  joke." 
"It  requires  no  skill  to  play  such  tricks." 

"Any  weak  or  simple-minded  person  can  dis- 
arrange a  room  or  make  an  apple-pie  bed  or  other- 
wise cause  a  busy  girl  unnecessary  trouble,  and 
what  is  gained  by  itf" 

To  pull  a  chair  from  one  in  the  act  of  being 
seated,  or  to  attempt  to  frighten  one  by  dressing 
as  a  "ghost,"  she  considered  inexcusable  in  any 
one,  and  especially  unpardonable  in  young  women 
old  enough  to  be  at  Mills  College.  She  would  tell 
sad  stories  that  had  come  within  her  knowledge,  of 
young  people  frightened  into  idiocy  or  maimed  for 
life  by  such  foolishness,  and  wished  her  girls  to 
ever  be  unwilling  to  have  any  part  in  such  thought- 
lessness. 

"Never  needlessly  cause  hurt  or  give  pain,  men- 
tal or  physical,  to  any  one,"  she  would  say. 


April  2. 

MRS.   MILLS  used  to  say  that  while  she  was 
not  a  faddist,  she  had  developed  one  fad. 
She  took  great  pleasure  in  her  collection  of 
tea-pots,  and  in  adding  to  their  number  small  tea- 
pots of  odd  designs  that  she,  herself,  purchased  or 
that  were  sent  to  her  as  souvenirs  from  all  parts 
of   the  world.     There  are  about   eight  hundred  in 
the   collection,   although   Mrs.   Mills   did   not   plan, 
at  first,  to  collect  more  than  two  hundred. 

The  late  Mr.  Dohrmann,  of  Nathan-Dohrmann 's, 
was  much  interested  in  the  tea-pots,  and  asked  Mrs. 
Mills  to  let  him  know  when  she  had  received 
one  hundred  and  ninety-nine,  that  he  might  give 
her  the  one  to  make  the  number  two  hundred.  This 
was  before  the  fire,  when  the  store  was  below 
Grant  avenue.  With  great  pride  he  chose  the  (to 
him)  crowning  glory  of  the  collection. 

Tea-pots  continued  to  come,  however,  until  there 
bid  fair  to  be  one  thousand,  and  were  Mrs.  Mills 
still  with  us  there,  doubtless,  would  have  T)een  that 
number  ere  now.  The  eight  hundred  form  a  very 
interesting  group  of  all  kinds  from  everywhere — 
tiny,  small,  and  medium-sized — Mrs.  Mills  did  not 
wish  them  very  large — quaint,  grotesque,  pretty, 
beautiful,  unique,  historical;  no  wonder  the  dear 
lady  took  such  pride  in  showing  them.  Would  the 
history  of  each  were  preserved! 


April  3. 

FROM   a   letter   to    Miss   Tolman,   written   by   a 
cousin  whom  she  had  evidently  asked  about 
Mrs.  Mills  as  a  little  girl  in  Enosburg,  Ver- 
mont. 

Mrs.  Mills'  father  moved  with  his  family  from 
Enosburg  to  Ware,  Massachusetts,  when  she  was 
ten  years  old. 

We  did  not  live  in  the  same  school  district,  but 
we  attended  the  same  Sunday  School.  I  was  in 
the  infant  class  when  Susan  came  into  it,  and  I 
remember  her  as  the  brightest  little  one  in  the 
class  to  repeat  hymns  and  verses  of  Scripture. 

She  showed  she  was  well-managed  at  home,  by 
being  always  orderly  and  obedient  while  the  class 
was  in  session  and  in  having  her  lessons  well- 
learned.  When  out  of  class  she  was  as  exuberant 
as  any  one  was  allowed  to  be  there  on  the  Sabbath. 

There  was  but  one  farm,  Esquire  Barnum's,  be- 
tween our  home  and  "Uncle  Tolman's  School- 
house,"  and  the  girls  never  liked  to  cross  its 
pasture  without  an  escort.  It  was  usually  my  priv- 
ilege to  be  that  escort  till  the  girls  were  safely  in 
the  "Post  Road"  near  the  school-house.  I  remem- 
ber vividly  several  of  these  trips,  and  carrying  and 
using  a  lot  of  stones  to  keep  off  "Barnum's  Bull." 
Susan  was  not  afraid  of  anything  but  cattle. 

Susan  was  as  spry  as  a  cricket,  so  I  never  had 
a  chance  to  help  her  over  the  stone  wall  or  through 
the  fence. 


April  4. 


ELEANOR  BOUTELL  NICHOLS 

Born  1765;  died  

Mrs.   Mills'    Maternal  Grandmother 

Then  shall   the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  snn  in  the 
kingdom  of  their  Father. — Matt.   13:43. 


o 


UR  grandmother  was  very  fond  of  Susan.  They 
had  the  same  snapping  black  eyes  and  full 
head  of  black  hair. 


They  had  loving  times  together,  and  I  often  came 
in  for  my  share,  as  I  was  grandmother's  special  boy 
in  our  family. 

Grandmother  generally  gave  Susan  a  new  hymn 
to  learn  when  she  came  to  our  home,  and  they 
were  always  faithfully  learned. 

Our  visits  were  not  very  frequent,  but  we  did 
always  have  a  good  time  at  Aunt  Tolman's. 


The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  converting  the  soul;  the 
testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure,  making  wise  and  simple. 

The  statutes  of  the  Lord  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart; 
the  commandment  of  the  Lord  is  pure,  enlightening  the 
eyes. 

Moreover,  by  them  is  thy  servant  warned;  and  in  keep- 
ing of  them  there  is  great  reward. — Psalms  19:7,  8,  11. 


April  5. 

UTJOW   Firm   a   Foundation,   Ye   Saints   of   the 

Lord"  was  a  favorite  hymn  of  Mrs.  Mills, 

as  it  was  the  favorite  of  Mr.  Mills,  and 

after  a  service  where  that  hymn  had  been  sung  a 

holy  calm  seemed  to  settle  over  the  entire  campus. 

That  which  impressed  me  most  in  my  association 
with  Mrs.  Mills  was  her  sincere  piety.  It  was  not 
with  her  a  cloak  to  be  put  on  at  intervals,  and  to 
be  cast  aside  at  times,  but  it  was  an  invisible  ves- 
ture which  made  her  always  the  friend  and  sym- 
pathizer with  all.  She  was  a  keen  judge  of  char- 
acter, and  her  piercing  eyes  would  seem  to  probe 
the  very  soul,  but  even  with  her  clearness  of  judg- 
ment there  was  always  a  leniency  commensurate 
with  her  large  sympathy  with  human  nature  even 
in  its  frailties. 

I  was  always  blessed  with  an  ardent  love  of 
nature,  and  I  am  sure  that  the  days  passed  at 
Mills  fostered  that  love.  The  Seniors  were  per- 
mitted to  study  in  the  grounds,  and  many  happy 
hours  were  spent  amid  those  inspiring  scenes.  So 
saturated  did  my  soul  become  with  this  love  that 
I  recall  that  the  subject  of  my  essay  was  ' '  Nature 's 
Voices,"  and  so  kind  and  sympathetic  was  Mrs. 
Mills  that  she  said  it  was  exactly  the  subject  of  all 
subjects  that  she  would  have  chosen. 

This  love  of  nature,  fostered  in  the  pupils,  could 
not  fail  to  have  its  beneficent  effect  upon  all,  and 
the  joy-bells  set  ringing  in  the  souls  of  those  under 
her  care  must  have  found  myriad  echoes  in  the 
souls  of  their  descendants  so  there  has  been  builded 
to  Mrs.  Mills'  memory  an  immortal  campanile. 


April  6. 

SHE  delighted  to  entertain  the  good  and  great. 
Dear  old  Dr.  George  Burroughs'  memory  will 
ever  linger  as  a  sweet  fragrance  in  our  lives. 
Dr.  John  Lord  and  others  we  recall  with  pleasure 
from  student  days;  especially  should  be  mentioned, 
ex-President  U.  S.  Grant. 


Dr.  John  Lord  and  Grace  Greenwood  were  persons 
of  especial  note  who  visited  the  Seminary  while  I 
was  there. 

Among  the  visitors  during  my  day,  Mr.  Eldridge, 
Mr.  Bouse,  and  Dr.  Poor  (my  father)  seemed  to  be 
very  close  friends  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills,  and  much 
beloved  by  them  as  well. 


Before  the  visit  of  Clara  Barton  to  Mills  we  were 
given  a  sketch  of  the  Red  Cross  work,  but  I  do  not 
recall  the  words  of  introduction  of  that  great 
woman. 

I  remember  well  with  what  grace  and  quiet  dig- 
nity Mrs.  Mills  came  upon  the  platform  on  the  arm 
of  the  great  Shakespearian  actor,  Frederick  Warde, 
and  presented  him  to  us. 


April  7. 

IT  is  a  pleasure  to  contribute  to  this  Year  Book. 
I  am  more  than  glad  to  express  my  appreciation 
of  all  that  Mrs.  Mills  has  done  for  me.     But 
how  can  I  tell  all  in  a  few  sentences?     What  I 
would  like  to  say  would  take  volumes. 

Nearly  every  day  there  is  an  occasion  which  re- 
minds me  of  some  lesson  taught  by  Mrs.  Mills,  and 
lately  I  have  been  wondering  which  lesson  has  im- 
pressed or  benefited  me  the  most. 

Always  around  the  holiday  time,  or  in  fact  any 
time  for  giving,  her  oft-quoted  words,  "It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive"  and  "Freely  ye 
have  received,  freely  give,"  come  to  me,  and  espe- 
cially at  this  time  when  we  have  been  called  upon 
so  often  to  help  those  afflicted  and  suffering  ones  in 
Europe.  How  much  Mrs.  Mills  helped  the  needy! 
not  only  in  holiday  time,  but  all  the  time.  What 
a  beautiful  sacrifice  was  made  when  she  gave  up 
her  desire  for  a  quiet  home  and  consecrated  her 
life  and  her  possessions  to  aid  in  the  education  of 
young  women.  We  always  dwelt  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  sweet  spirit  of  giving,  but  never  did 
we  realize  it  until  we  had  gone  among  the  people 
of  the  world. 

One  incident  comes  to  me  often  in  my  class-room 
and  as  often  amuses  me,  though  it  helps  me.  Mrs. 
Mills  taught  the  Senior  Ethics.  Frequently  a  girl 
called  upon  to  recite  would  begin  her  recitation  with 
a  prolonged,  ' '  Well. "  "  Never  begin  your  recitation 
with  'well,'  "  Mrs.  Mills  would  say,  "I  will  say 
'well  done'  at  the  end  of  it."  Each  time  this  oc- 
curred Mrs.  Mills  would  stop  the  lesson,  and  tell 
those  of  us  who  intended  to  teach  that  we  should 
always  insist  upon  a  recitation  properly  and  well 
said,  no  matter  how  simple  an  answer  was  needed. 


April  8. 


MBS.  S.  L.  MILLS 
In  Memoriam. 

A  SPIRIT  rare,  whose  noble  sympathy 
Combined  with  vision  clear,  and  strength  to 
act 

In  each  grave  crisis,  showed  the  gentle  tact 
Born  of  a  mother-heart:  so  faithfully 
The  crystal  tide  of  love  found  outlet  free 
In  unobtrusive  care  for  all  who  lacked. 
Her  path  was  lone,  and  often  sorrow-tracked, 
Yet  prayer  resistless  made  its  constant  plea. 

She  could  not  die:  in  higher  work  above 

She  finds  her  joy;  yet  calls  to  loved  ones  here 

That  they  on  steady  wing  may  upward  rise; 

' '  For  Christ  and  for  the  world ' '  to  show  their  love — 

While  still  we  hear  her  say  in  tones  of  cheer, 

"Seek  no  low  goal,  live  ever  for  the  skies." 

CARRIE  JUDD  MONTGOMERY. 
January,  1915. 


April  9. 

The  Lord  is  my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want. — Psalm  23:1. 


I 


T  is  a  delight  to  me  to  help  in  any  way  possible 
any  plans  to  honor  the  memory  of  our  beloved 
Mrs.  Mills. 

My  birthday  anniversary  date  is  April  the  ninth. 

I  remember  that  Mrs.  Mills  often  said  that  "As 
we  have  received  much,  we  should  give  much. ' ' 
"Pass  it  on."  Counsel  that  she  made  a  part  of  her 
own  daily  life.  Her  watchwords  were  "Service," 
"Charity" — the  kind  of  charity  that  is  born  of 
sympathy  and  love. 

She  always  had  her  pupils  learn  the  twenty-third 
Psalm,  which  she  would  have  us  sometimes  repeat 
at  evening  prayers,  she  in  her  interested  way  always 
leading. 

She  often  read  the  thirty-first  chapter  of 
Proverbs,  and  would  call  attention  to  the  various 
verses  descriptive  of  the  virtuous,  or  as  she  ex- 
plained it,  "all-round"  woman.  In  one  verse,  I 
remember,  where  she  is  described  as  "the  woman 
who  riseth  while  it  is  yet  dark  to  minister  to  the 
needs  of  her  household,"  we  would  have  a  lesson 
on  forethought  and  thrift. 

I  received  more  help  and  encouragement  from 
Mrs.  Mills  than  from  any  other  person.  It  came  at 
a  time  when  I  was  peculiarly  responsive  to  outside 
influence — the  latter  part  of  my  high  school  life 
and  the  beginning  of  college.  She  made  me  realize, 
and  I  shall  always  be  deeply  grateful  for  this,  that 
it  was  worth  while  to  go  beyond  a  high  school 
education.  In  fact,  she  was  the  means  of  opening 
a  new  life  to  me — a  life  of  effort  and  of  action. 

Mrs.  Mills  was  a  woman  of  high  resolve  and 
ideals,  and  endowed  with  the  tact  and  the  power  to 
make  these  ideals  felt. 


April  10. 

THESE  recollections  of  Mrs.  Mills  are  very  de- 
tached,   but     are    incidents     that     impressed 
themselves  upon  my  mind  as  so  characteristic 
of  her. 

At  prayers,  she  often  reminded  us  to  be  as 
thoughtful  as  possible  for  the  servants,  not  to 
make  them  needless  work,  and  illustrated  from  the 
life  of  Mary  Lyon — how  she  had  at  one  time  met 
the  founder  of  Mt.  Holyoke  carrying  a  tray  from 
a  sick  student's  room,  thus  making  the  maid's  work 
lighter. 

One  day  as  I  entered  my  room,  21  College  Hall, 
Mrs.  Mills  was  there  and  greatly  distressed  to  find 
there  was  no  rug  by  my  couch.  Needless  to  say,  she 
despatched  me  immediately  to  "18"  for  one. 

Her  remarkable  memory  with  regard  to  details 
was  marvelous  in  one  of  her  advanced  years. 

Mrs.  Mills'  hospitality  and  cordiality  were  bound- 
less. Pointing  out  to  me  an  Alumna  with  her  little 
daughter,  "My  dear,"  she  said,  "I  hope  you  will 
be  sure  to  come  back  bringing  your  children  with 
you."  That  is  one  instance  of  her  interest.  When 
I  once  went  to  bid  her  good-bye  before  going  home 
for  my  Christmas  recess,  she  learned  I  had  just 
moved  to  Berkeley,  so  took  my  address,  saying  that 
she  knew  many  in  Berkeley  whom  she  would  like 
me  to  know. 

Many  times  I  have  heard  those  girls  who  were 
not  religiously  inclined  express  their  appreciation 
of  Mrs.  Mills'  prayers;  they  were  so  simple,  force- 
ful, sincere,  beautiful  and,  most  of  all,  helpful. 

A  beautiful  tribute  from  a  wonderful  man  was 
given  when  David  Starr  Jordan  said  some  years 
ago,  "If  ever  there  was  a  saint  on  earth,  Mrs.  Mills 
is  one." 


April  11. 

,  who  is  staying  temporally  at  a  hotel,  says 

that  she  is  daily  quoting  Mrs.  Mills  by  action, 
for  she  alone  of  the  half-dozen  young  people 
turns  off  the  light  when  leaving  the  room. 

She  is  appalled  at  the  abuse  of  towels  used  when 
ironing;  in  other  words,  at  the  general  willful 
thoughtlessness  of  other  peoples'  property,  and  owes 
it  to  the  many  little  talks  on  the  subject. 

It  is  in  truth  the  thousand  and  one  little  things 
that  tell  the  personal  story  of  the  woman's  life 
whose  work  praises  her. 

D refuses  to  write  down  "Oh,  such  simple 

things,"  but  is  it  not  proof  of  appreciation  of  her 
simple  talks  that  we  remember  them  and  apply 
them? 

In  a  talk  often  given  on  Preparedness  for  Death, 
Mrs.  Mills  one  time  hoped  indeed  she  was  ready, 
but  when  some  inquiring  mind  asked  " Tomorrow! 
Today!  Now?"  she  said  hastily  and  yet  with  a 
very,  very  hesitant,  "Yes,  but — I'd  hate  to  leave  so 
many  things  unfinished.  If  I  knew  it  was  tomorrow 
there  are  lots  of  little  things  I  want  to  do." 

I  can  see  her  quizzical  look — the  look  that  told 
the  story  of  a  happy  living — struggling  with,  shall 
we  call  it — training  (?),  office? 

When  I  afterward  told  her  of  a  friend  who  feared 
sudden  death  lest  she  have  soiled  fingernails,  and  of 
another  lest  she  leave  soiled  inside  to  her  collars, 
she  certainly  enjoyed  it,  and  acknowledged  to  some 
secret  little  thing  herself  which  has  slipped  out  of 
my  mind. 


April  12. 

JOHN  TOLMAN. 

Born  1820;  died  1855. 

Mrs.  Mills'  Brother. 

From  "Daily  Food"  texts  of  Miss  Julia  Tolman,  1838. 
Because  thou  hast  been  my  help,  therefore  in  the  shadow 
of  thy  wings  will  I  rejoice. — Psalm  63:7. 

His  love  in  time  past  forbids  me  to  think 
He'll  leave  me  at  last  in  trouble  to  sink. 

Believe    on    the    Lord   Jesus    Christ,    and    thou    shalt    be 
saved. — Acts  16:31. 

I  know  whom  I  have  believed. — II.  Tim.  1:12. 


I  SHALL  never  forget  how  Mrs.  Mills  impressed 
it  upon  me  to  be  on  time,  not  tardy.  Her  daily 
life  was  an  example  to  her  pupils. 

Her  life-partner  was  my  instructor  in  Astronomy 
and  Mental  Philosophy,  and  his  dry  wit  and  humor 
helped  to  make  many  truths  remain  with  me  in- 
delibly. He  was  dignified  yet  jovial,  and  took  a 
keen  interest  in  both  the  pupils  and  the  branches 
he  taught. 

He  planned  the  paths  of  the  campus  in  graceful 
curves  so  that  no  abrupt  turns  might  offend  the  eye. 

After  visiting  all  the  familiar  places  and  newly 
added  attractions,  we  involuntarily  turn  to  Sunny- 
side,  and  feel  that  it  is  a  sacred  place  where  we 
tread  on  holy  ground;  made  so  by  the  love  and- 
devotion  of  these  noble  lives  given  to  the  young 
womanhood  of  our  glorious  California. 


April  13. 

EL   OAMPANIL 

IN  legend  from  Arabia's  golden  days 
'Tis  said,  a  kindly  Spirit  of  the  Air, 
Tho'  yearning  to  consort  with  sons  of  men, 
Yet  lingered  in  their  ways,  unloved,  unknown, 
Till  pitiful,  Allah  found  for  him  a  form 
And  gave  him  voice  that  men  might  know  and  love. 
So,  in  these  bells  a  Spirit  dwelt,  though  dumb 
They  stood,  their  potency  of  sound  undreamed; 
For  in  their  muteness  none  could  ever  guess 
The  silvery  music  of  their  utterance. 
Until,  at  last,  one  came  who  said,  "Too  long 
This  silence. ' '    And  at  once  the  gray  old  oaks, 
That  dream  all  day  of  generations  gone, 
Woke  with  a  new  amaze,  for  in  their  shade 
A  something  stirred  with  life  and  grew  amain, 
Till  like  a  perfect  form  molded  to  fit 
A  lovely  soul,  there  stood  El  Campanil. 

There,  like  an  aftermath  in  later  days, 
The  strength  and  beauty  of  the  past  appear, 
The  stately  grandeur  brought  from  ancient  Spain, 
Mellowed  by  tender  mission  vespers  sung 
Beneath  the  lofty  arches;  sturdy  beams 
Prom  the  primeval  forests  of  the  West, 
To  hold  in  fast  embrace  the  precious  charge; 
Caught  in  the  art  that  builded  ancient  Eome, 
A  strength  like  her,  indomitable,  firm, 
That  faces  the  dim  centuries  to  come. 

And  here  the  tuneful  Spirit  found  its  home. 
The  glad  bells  spoke,  and  all  that  heard  rejoiced, 
So  tender  were  the  silver  melodies. 
Stand  long,  El  Campanil!     Each  heart  makes  room 
For  thee  as  for  the  well-loved  College.     Here 
Stand  thou  in  years  to  come,  and  speak  as  now, 
To  those  who  follow,  even  as  to  us, 
Thy  messages  of  joy  and  strength  and  love. 

ALICE  M.  ROBBINS,  '06. 


April  14. 

EL   CAMPANIL    AND    ITS   CHIME    OF   BELLS. 
Dedicated  April   14,   1904. 

In  Loyal  Remembrance  of  Those 

Who  by  Tongue  or  Pen 
By  Generous  Gift  or  Noble  Deed, 

Have  Aided  Woman 

On  Her  Upward  Way,  These 

Bells  Chime  On. 

Inscription  on  Tablet  of  El  Campanil, 
By  F.  L.  Damon. 


THE  Chime  of  Bells  is  the  crowning  gift  of  a 
dear  and  constant  friend,  the  Honorable 
David  Hewes. 

The  Tower  with  its  Spanish  name,  El  Campanil, 
was  given  by  our  good  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
F.  M.  Smith. 

Bernard  Ransome,  the  third  generation  of  fine 
concrete  constructors  of  our  land,  was  chosen  as 
the  builder. 

Miss  Julia  Morgan  was  the  architect. 

The  Clock  which  regulates  the  Chime,  marks  the 
quarters,  and  on  the  hour  gives  us  the  full  West- 
minster Chimes,  was  given  by  the  Faculty,  Students, 
Employees,  and  Friends  of  Mills  College. 

The  Door  with  its  quaint  Lock  and  Nails,  came 
from  an  old  Spanish  church  in  Mexico,  and  was  the 
gift  of  Mrs.  Amelia  W.  Truesdell. 

The  Vases  on  the  Parapet  are  the  gift  of  the 
Misses  Loggie,  two  of  our  pupils.  They  were 
especially  designed  by  Miss  Morgan,  after  those  of 
the  Alhambra,  in  Granada. 

Following  the  old  custom  of  naming  bells,  these 
bear  the  names  of  the  Graces  of  the  Spirit  as  found 
in  Galatians  5:22-23.  The  four  that  ring  the  chimes 
are  Faith,  Hope,  Peace  and  Joy.  The  greatest  of 
the  bells  is  Love;  the  smallest,  Meekness.  The 
others  are  Gentleness,  Goodness,  Self-control,  and 
Long-suffering.  We  hope  and  pray  that  these  graces 
may  be  illustrated  in  the  lives  of  all  who  enjoy 
these  chimes  which  have  "set  our  days  and  nights 
to  music." — (Extracts  from  a  statement  by  Mrs. 
Mills  at  the  Dedication.) 


w 


April  15. 

ITH  a  sense  of  privilege  and  pleasure  do  I 
endeavor  to  pen  some  of  my  recollections 
and  impressions  of  our  sainted  Mrs.  Mills. 

She  was  pre-eminently  fitted  to  be  a  leader  of 
girls.  Her  innate  wise  common-sense  made  her  an 
invaluable  counselor  to  those  away  from  their 
mother's  advice  and  influence. 

She  planned  to  have  the  school  buildings  and 
surroundings  attractive,  thus  cultivating  a  love 
for  the  beautiful. 

Regarding  the  food,  she  said  she  made  it  as  much 
a  subject  of  prayer  that  the  bread  should  be  sweet 
and  wholesome  as  she  did  that  the  souls  should  be 
properly  nourished. 

Never  given  to  display,  she  yet  had  a  genuine 
satisfaction  in  simple  elegance.  She  was  always 
becomingly  attired,  and  always  discouraged  the 
girls  from  appearing  in  a  way  to  attract  attention. 

She  was  a  woman  of  rare  executive  ability,  and 
whatever  she  undertook,  carried  to  a  successful 
conclusion  as  far  as  possible  with  the  means  at  her 
command. 

When  in  her  usual  good  health,  her  power  of 
endurance,  both  physical  and  mental,  was  truly 
remarkable. 


April  16. 

SHE  had  a  keen  insight  into  human  nature,  and 
seemed  to  understand  those  under  her  care 
better  than  many  understood  themselves. 

Generous  herself,  she  inspired  that  virtue  in 
others.  She  was  always  optimistic  and  always  re- 
sourceful. 

She  was  gentle  yet  commanding,  and  no  one 
dared  willfully  to  disobey  her. 

Having  a  reverent  nature,  consciously  and  un- 
consciously, she  inspired  all  to  higher  and  finer  and 
nobler  ideals  and  desires.  Many  a  time  I  have 
reason  to  be  grateful  that  she  required  the  memoriz- 
ing of  certain  Psalms  and  passages  of  Scripture. 

Her  face,  which  some  would  consider  plain  in 
repose,  lighted  up  when  she  talked  of  Heaven  and 
heavenly  things,  until  it  became  fairly  radiant. 


April  17. 

AS  illustrating  Mrs.   Mills'   quickness  to  act,  I 
remember  that  during  one  of  my  early  years 
at  Mills,  we  experienced  quite  an  earthquake 
shock.     Hardly  a  girl  had  a  chance  to  stir  from 
her  room  before  Mrs.  Mills  from  her  room  on  the 
first  floor  had  mounted  to  the  third  floor  in  order 
to  give  courage  to  some  of  the  younger  girls  who 
were  there. 

One  of  my  strongest  impressions  of  Mrs.  Mills' 
wonderful  power  and  executive  ability  is  in  con- 
nection with  the  great  fire  and  earthquake. 

She  had  been  very  ill  and  was  still  under  the 
care  of  a  trained  nurse.  As  soon  as  she  learned  the 
severity  of  the  earthquake,  she  said:  "I  must  get 
up  at  once.  My  'girls'  need  me,  and  there  will  be 
much  to  do  for  our  friends  in  the  city. ' ' 

All  protest  was  in  vain.  At  once  plans  were 
made  and  carried  into  effect. 

She  was  a  whole  Red  Cross  organization  in  her- 
self. Strangers  were  made  welcome  at  the  College 
as  well  as  friends.  Fully  thirty  Chinese  found  their 
way  to  that  haven.  Even  the  family  pets  were 
taken  in,  including  "Refugee, "  who,  like  Topsy, 
seemed  to  have  no  family  connections. 

During  all  these  trying  days,  Mrs.  Mills  was  gath- 
ering up  food  and  clothing  to  send  to  suffering  ones 
in  San  Francisco,  and  at  the  same  time,  by  her 
wonderful  personality,  she  quieted  the  fears  of  the 
students,  kept  them  steadily  at  their  work,  which 
was  carried  to  a  successful  termination — only  two 
of  the  two  hundred  or  more  students  then  enrolled 
leaving  the  College. 


And  a  great  strong  wind  rent  the  mountains,  and  break 
in  pieces  the  rocks  before  the  Lord;  but  the  Lord  was  not 
in  the  wind;  and  after  the  wind  an  earthquake;  but  the 
Lord  was  not  in  the  earthquake ;  and  after  the  earthquake 
a  fire;  but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  fire;  and  after  the  fire 
•  still  small  voice. — I.  Kings  19:11-12. 


April  18. 

(Extracts  from  a  note  written  to  friends  of  the 
students  after  the  calamity  of  April  18,  1906.) 

MOST  of  the  Faculty  and  students  went  away 
for  the  Easter  recess,  and  returned  on  the 
Monday  previous  to  the  great  earthquake. 
All  went  quietly  on  with  their  work,  and  on  Wed- 
nesday morning  came  the  great  catastrophe.     Had 
it  occurred  Monday  morning  while  they  were  scat- 
tered  how   should   we   ever   have   gotten   them   to- 
gether again?     But  our  Heavenly  Father  returned 
them  all  safely  to  our  care;  all  but  two,  were  here 
and  ready  for  work  on  Tuesday. 

Our  students  had  had  good  fire-drill,  so  when  the 
earthquake  came,  there  was  not  an  outcry.  Within 
four  minutes  they  were  in  suitable  wraps  on  the 
lawn.  We  had,  fortunately,  a  good  galvanized  iron 
chimney  in  the  kitchen,  and  breakfast  was  served 
as  usual.  Eecitations  went  on  at  the  usual  hours, 
although  there  was  more  or  less  uneasiness,  but 
the  students  carried  themselves  with  a  great  deal 
of  fortitude  and  self-control. 

As  soon  as  we  heard  of  the  calamity  that  over- 
whelmed San  Francisco,  we  began  to  plan  for  the 
clothing  and  feeding  of  some  of  the  great  multitude, 
and  by  Thursday  we  had  some  refugees  from  the 
city,  including  our  own  professors  and  their  wives, 
as  well  as  some  of  the  mothers  and  friends  of  the 
young  ladies,  and  about  thirty  Chinese,  the  friends 
of  our  Chinese  servants.  Immediately  after  the 
earthquake  we  had  ordered  supplies  enough  to  last 
six  weeks,  and  so  we  had  an  abundance  for  those 
who  came  to  us.  Many  of  our  friends  had  saved 
nothing  but  the  clothing  they  had  on. 

Sewing  societies  were  organized,  and  on  Satur- 
day and  Sunday  sewing  machines  and  fingers  were 
busily  at  work,  and  we  were  able  to  send,  in  all, 
some  five  hundred  garments  to  help  the  relief 
society  in  Oakland. 

******* 

As  we  looked  about  us  for  damage  we  found  very 
little.  Beautiful  El  Campanil  was  without  a  crack. 
The  bells  stopped  for  a  few  hours  until  our  good 
Professor  Keep  could  get  them  in  order  again; 
and  still  "our  days  and  nights  were  set  to  music." 


April  19. 

STANDING  upon  this  hillside  when  it  was  bare 
and  brown,  Mr.  Mills  often  spoke  of  his  desire 
and  intention  to  build  here  a  home,  a  place  of 
quiet  retreat  for  himself  and  Mrs.  Mills,  just  apart 
from  the  strenuous  activities  of  student  life,  yet 
near  enough  to  be  an  integral  part  of  it. 

How  beautiful  it  would  have  been,  rich  with 
every  material  comfort  as  well  as  fitted  with  treas- 
ures of  brush  and  pen. 

Bright  with  sunshine,  redolent  with  the  perfume 
of  kindly  deeds,  one  more  opportunity  for  fuller 
service,  a  home  in  which  there  would  be  no  divided 
interests,  or  diverging  lines  of  activity,  for  it  was 
always  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mills,  side  by  side,  shoulder 
to  shoulder,  a  rare  companionship! 

They  wrought  together — together  let  them  stand 
before  the  world. 


Their  life  was  one — 

One   meaning  through  it   ran, 

One  golden  thread  of  love 

For  God  and  man — 

One  aim  was  theirs, 

One  purpose  and  one  plan. 


M 


April  20. 

B.    MILLS  died  at  Mills  College  (then  Sem- 
inary), Seminary  Park,  April  20,  1884,  and 
was  buried  at  Sunnyside. 

So  Sunnyside  means  Home,  his  chosen  home 
among  the  trees  and  flowers  that  were  so  dear  to 
him.  It  speaks  of  Life  Eternal;  it  tells  us  that 
work  done  lovingly  and  prayerfully  for  others 
faileth  never;  that  "Every  good  thing  supports 
every  other  good  thing. ' ' 

There  is  no  thought  of  gloom  or  sadness  here, 
but  of  glad  courage,  of  the  buoyancy  of  hope. 

"Like  the  eagle,  upward,  onward, 
May  my  soul  in  faith  be  borne, 
Calmly  gazing  skyward,  sunward, 
Let  my  eyes  unshrinking  turn." 

That  was  one  of  Dr.  Mills  favorite  hymns,  and 
the  dominant  thought  of  his  life — to  do,  to  dare, 
to  endure  unflinchingly. 

While  it  may  be  of  record  that  upon  such  a  day 
Cyrus  T.  Mills  was  born;  on  such  a  day  he  passed 
away;  in  our  hearts  these  mere  dates  are  for- 
ever lost  in  the  larger  truth  of  the  abiding  Life 
"without  beginning  of  years,  or  ends  of  days." 

Is  this  noble  life  whose  fruitage  we  are  sharing, 
an  inspiration?  giving  us  courage  to  hold  on  our 
way?  Are  we  laggards,  idlers  in  these  Fields  of 
Lifef  How  would  we  dare  merit  such  condemna- 
tion! 

Yes,  bring  roses,  bring  roses, 
He  loved  them  well; 
Their  perfume,  a  voice 
Their  light,  God's  smile. 
Bring  roses. 


April  21. 

JAMES  BOUTELL 

Born  1726;   died  1791 
Mrs.  Mills'  Great  Grandfather  (Maternal) 


Trust  ye  in  the  Lord  forever,  for  in  the  Lord  Jehovah 
is  everlasting  strength. — Isaiah  26:4. 

(61V  JO  good  book  nor  any  good  thing  puts  its 
best  face  first."  Some  will  recall  this 
quotation  as  hanging  "once  upon  a  time" 

in  the  old  Gymnasium. 

"The  terror  of  evil-doers"  was  a  title  to  which 
Mrs.  Mills  referred  with  much  pride  as  bestowed 
upon  her  when  a  teacher  at  Mt.  Holyoke. 

She  considered  such  a  title  much  more  to  be  de- 
sired than  to  have  it  said  with  reference  to  her, 
that  any  student  was  "teacher's  pet." 

Her  standard  of  morality  was  sure  and  her  ideals 
high,  and  helped  her  to  take  firm  stand  against  any 
tendency  toward  the  lowering  of  character. 

When  a  student  had  been  a  long  time  in  a  class, 
however,  without  material  progress,  her  desire  was 
to  advance  her  on  trial.  "Let  her  graze  in  pastures 
new  and  get  a  new  interest  in  her  work." 

From  this  desire,  she  was  often  considered  lenient 
in  a  way  that  she  neither  was  nor  had  intention  of 
being.  She  did  consider  individual  need  as  well  as 
the  good  of  the  whole. 

Mrs.  Mills  was  ubiquitous  in  her  presence;  untir- 
ing in  her  zeal;  unlimited  in  her  enthusiasm;  mar- 
velous in  her  insight;  astounding  in  her  knowledge 
of  human  nature;  showed  unending  care  and 
thoughtfulness;  was  keen  in  foresight,  and  prompt 
in  decision. 


April  22. 

MES.  MILLS  was  certainly  a  wonderful  woman. 
Her  pupils  appreciate  her  more  as  the  years 
go    by,    and    they   compare   her   with    other 
women.     She  had  an  unusually  strong  personality 
and  a  practical  religion.     A  religion  that  she  used 
in   her  every  day  life.     Many  of  the  less  affluent 
but    brilliant    pupils   were   given   scholarships   that 
they    might    obtain    the    education    they    so    much 
desired. 

Mrs.  Mills  had  wonderful  executive  ability.  She 
also  possessed  the  rare  characteristic  of  being  able 
to  put  herself  in  the  other  person 's  place  and  see 
from  that  point  of  view.  Mrs.  Mills  was  certainly 
a  wonderful  woman. 


On  the  steps  of  the  dear  old  Benicia  Seminary 
several  of  the  Mary  Atkins  girls  were  saying  "good- 
bye," when  Mrs.  Mills  said  to  us:  "You  girls  may 
never  know  how  much  I  appreciate  your  devotion 
to  your  'Alma  Mater,'  but  your  Father  in  heaven 
knows  and  He  will  bless  and  reward  you."  The 
day  and  event  stand  out  prominent  in  my  memory 
of  Mrs.  Mills. 


April  23. 

I  am  the  true  vine,   and  my  Father  is  the  husbandman. 

Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear 
fruit  of  itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine;  no  more  can 
ye,  except  ye  abide  in  me. 

If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall 
ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you. 

Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit; 
so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples. — John  15:1,4,7,8. 


MES.  MILLS  was  especially  dear  to  me,  first 
because  she  and  my  mother  knew  each  other 
as  girls  and  there  was  the  missionary  spirit 
bond  between  them. 

Then,  as  I  knew  her  during  my  nine  years  at 
Mills,  in  a  period  when  she  passed  thru  severe  and 
trying  experiences,  I  realized  her  worth  of  char- 
acter— true  and  steadfast  to  the  task  set  before 
her,  with  a  devotion  to  her  highest  ideals. 

These  qualities  she  looked  for  in  us,  the  teachers, 
and  while  sometimes  she  seemed  to  exact  much  of 
us — gave  a  great  deal  more  to  us,  in  her  loving 
thought  of  our  comfort  and  pleasure. 

How  she  delighted  in  quietly  making  some  pleas- 
ant outing  or  trip  for  one  and  another,  especially 
for  those  of  us  whose  homes  were  in  the  East. 
Thus  she  entertained  two  of  us  at  Del  Monte  for 
our  first  Christmas  in  California. 


April  24. 


Lift  up   your  heads,   O   ye  gates;    even  lift  them  up,   ye 
everlasting  doors ;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. 

Who   is  this   King  of  glory  t     The  Lord  of  hosts,   he   is 
the  King  of  glory. — Ps.  24:9,  10. 


Wait   on    the    Lord:    be    of   good    courage,    and   he    shall 
strengthen  thine  heart. — Ps.  27:14. 


MISS  TOLMAN  I  was  so  fortunate  to  have  as 
a  teacher  in   the   History  of  Art,   and  the 
beauties  she  set  before  me  in  those  classes 
have  been  unfailing  fountains  of  refreshment. 

While  her  austerity  appalled  many  of  the  girls, 
I  found  her  very  kind  and  was  the  recipient  of 
great  favors.  At  one  time  she  excused  me  from 
reciting  in  class  but  allowed  me  instead  to  go  to 
her  home  and  put  several  lessons  in  one,  thus  sav- 
ing time  for  me  when  I  was  crowded  with  work 
and  opening  to  my  delighted  gaze  the  great  treasury 
of  pictures,  statuary,  books,  tapestries  and  various 
beautiful  things  which  her  cottage  housed. 

One  memory  of  Miss  Tolman  which  has  been  a 
proud  one  for  me,  especially  in  view  of  her  New 
England  undemonstrative  nature,  was  her  climbing 
to  my  room  in  Seminary  Hall  on  the  third  floor, 
and  kissing  me  good-bye  when  I  was  about  to  leave 
to  come  back  to  Iowa.  "Be  a  credit  to  us,"  was 
her  parting  message. 


April  25. 

'Absolutely  tender! 
Absolutely  true! 
Understanding  all  things, 
Understanding  you! 
Infinitely  loving — 
Exquisitely  near — 
This  is  God  our  Father, 
What  have  we  to  fear?" 

1  WOULD  be  so  glad  to  help  in  the  pleasant  task 
of   presenting   the    life  of   dear   Mrs.    Mills   so 
people  will  understand  what  a  grand,  all-round, 
noble  Christian  woman  she  was;  interested  in  every- 
thing that   could   help   others,    especially   the   dear 
girls  and  women. 

I  had  such  an  admiration  for  her  in  every  way, 
and  believe  her  such  a  wonderfully  capable  woman 
in  all  respects  that  I  feel  you  will  not  want  for 
facts. 

She  will  live  in  the  hearts  of  many  people,  and 
cannot  be  forgotten. 

My  good  Dr.  L has  limited  me  as  to  writing, 

and  cautioned  me  in  a  manner  I  must  heed.  I 
would  I  were  able  to  write  what  should  be  said  in 
behalf  of  that  wonderfully  able,  good,  kind,  and 
noble  woman,  for  there  was  only  one  Mrs.  Mills. 


Blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord.  For  he 
shall  be  as  a  tree  planted  by  the  waters,  and  that  spreadeth 
out  her  roots  by  the  river,  and  shall  not  see  when  heat 
cometh,  but  her  leaves  shall  be  green;  and  shall  not  be 
careful  in  the  year  of  drought,  neither  shall  cease  from 
yielding  fruit. — Jer.  17:7,  8. 


April  26. 


ELIZABETH  SMITH  BOUTELL 

Born  1732;   died  1805 
Mrs.  Mills'   Maternal  Great  Grandmother 


From  Miss  Julia's  "Daily  Food"  text 
They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the 
firmament;    and   they   that  turn  many   to   righteousness   as 
the  stars  forever  and  ever. — Daniel  12:3. 


HER  Bible  was  her  strength  and  her  shield. 
She  studied  it;  knew  it  practically  from  cover 
to  cover.  One  of  the  sweetest  pictures  I  have 
of  her  is  at  evening  prayers  turning  the  leaves  of 
the  big  Book,  peering  for  one  of  her  favorite 
Psalms.  It  always  seemed  to  me  that  the  Psalms 
and  the  New  Testament  were  her  favorite  portions, 
but  maybe  that  was  only  because  she  found  them 
more  suitable  to  read  to  us.  I  do  know  that  the 
Psalms  are  wonderfully  sweet  to  me  now,  because 
as  I  read  them  I  always  see  the  sweet  contented 
expression  of  Mrs.  Mills'  face  as  she  read  them  to 
us,  and  hear  the  slow  emphasis  striving  to  make 
us  grasp  and  understand  the  truths  that  were  so 
clear  to  her. 


It  comes  to  mean  much  to  me  that  Mrs.  Mills 
should  so  enter  into  the  feelings  of  the  girls  who 
were  to  take  part  in  the  concerts  as  to  include  a 
petition  for  them  in  her  prayer  on  those  evenings, 
that  they  might  be  given  strength  and  peace  and 
quietness  of  mind. 

This  petition  became  a  source  of  strength  to  me, 
and  I  should  have  felt  it  a  personal  loss  had 
Mrs.  Mills  ever  failed  to  have  made  it  a  part  of  her 
prayer  on  those  occasions. 


April  27. 


JOHN  CONDRON 
Born  April  26,  18 — ;  died  18 — 

Mrs.  Mills'   Nephew 
Survived  by  widow,  Delia  M.  Condron  (See  March  22) 

They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength. 
They  shall  mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles;  they  shall  run 
and  not  be  weary;  and  they  shall  walk  and  not  faint. — 

— Isaiah  40:21. 


M 


ES.   MILLS  handed  me,  one  day,  a  clipping 
with  this  verse: 


"Life  is  beautiful!     Its  duties 

Cluster  round  each  passing  day 
While  their  sweet  and  solemn  voices 
Warn  to  work,  and  watch,  and  pray. 

"They  alone  its  blessings  forfeit 

Who  by  sin  their  spirits  cheat 
Or  to  slothful  stupor  yielding 
Let  the  rust  their  armor  eat." 


"Yes,  life  is  beautiful,"  she  said,  "if  we  only 
make  it  so." 

"I  would  rather  wear  out  than  rust  out  or  root 
out,"  is  one  of  her  frequent  rejoinders  when  her 
constant  activity  was  commented  upon. 


April  28. 

1  PRESUME  all  young  women  take  many  things 
for    granted,    and    I    believe    now    that   I   took 
Mrs.  Mills'  wonderful  love  for  the  aesthetic  as 
a  matter  of  course. 

At  that  time  California  was  new  to  me,  and  its 
native  luxuriance  so  entrancing  that  I  failed  to 
see  how  much  landscape  gardening  had  gone  into 
the  grounds  at  Mills,  and  how  far-seeing  had  been 
the  eye  that  chose  so  suitable  a  situation  for  a  Col- 
lege. But  I  see  now  that  all  those  beauties  were 
one  with  the  best  in  art  as  I  recall  the  walls  of 
her  own  apartment  hung  with  fine  copies  and  orig- 
inals of  the  best  from  many  schools  of  painting, 
and  I  remember  vividly  a  humorous  twinkle  in  her 
keen  eyes  when  she  dryly  remarked  in  an  afternoon 
talk  to  us,  that  she  noticed  a  great  many  chromes 
and  undesirable  prints  came  off  the  walls  after  the 
girls  began  the  study  of  Art. 

As  I  study  Mrs.  Mills,  I  believe  that  there  was 
just  one  interpretation  which  she  gave  to  religion — 
service;  nor  was  that  shown  in  her  life  as  a  foreign 
missionary  alone. 

During  my  first  term  at  College  while  the  wealth 
of  flowers  was  such  a  joy,  she  gave  me,  unsought, 
permission  to  keep  roses  in  my  room  at  any  time. 


April  29. 

THE   little   attentions  in   the  multitude   of  her 
responsibilities    are   such    as    to   "give    me 
pause."     One  instance:   a  few  of  the  girls, 
and  I  was  one,  were  struggling  to  carry  on  Senior 
year  work  without  a  physical  break-down.     Quietly 
we  were  told  that  during  each  forenoon  there  would 
be  found  on  a  table  in  the  dining-room  a  lunch  of 
the  famous  Mills  brown  bread,  and  milk. 

Her  sense  of  humor  was  very  keen,  I  know,  from 
a  few  experiences  in  which  I  was  concerned.  It 
was  not  of  the  conspicuous  type,  but  sometimes  a 
little  sardonic  as  on  one  occasion  of  a  telephone 
call  from  a  youth  at  Berkeley  who  desired  to  talk 
to  one  of  the  girls.  Mrs.  Mills  chanced  to  be  pass- 
ing the  telephone  booth  as  the  call  came  in,  and 
took  down  the  receiver  herself  (the  girl  in  charge 
having  gone  to  church).  In  response  to  the  young 
man's  request,  Mrs.  Mills  asked  who  he  was.  "Oh! 
one  of  her  cousins,"  glibly  replied  he.  "It  seems 
to  me  there  are  a  good  many  cousins  over  there," 
was  her  answer,  but  she  summoned  the  girl. 

No  one  at  Mills  during  the  life  of  "Coco  Crocker 
Curtis  Mills"  (a  thousand  pardons  if  I  have  mis- 
spelled him)  can  doubt  the  strong  feeling  Mrs.  Mills 
had  for  dogs. 

Her  driving  horse  was  a  pet  also,  but  I  do  not 
know  that  her  affection  extended  to  cats. 


April  30. 


Whither  shall  I  go   from  thy  Spirit?  or  whither  shall  I 
flee  from  thy  presence! 

If  I  ascend  up   into  heaven,   thon  art   there:   if  I  make 
my  bed  in  hell,  behold  thou  art  there. 

If  I   take   the  wings   of   the  morning,   and   dwell   in   the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  sea; 

Even  there  shall  thy  hand  lead  me,  and  thy  right  hand 
shall  hold  me.— Ps.   139:7,8,9,10. 


ONE  of  her  sayings  which  has  flashed  into  my 
mind  often  when  I  have  been  guilty  of  mis- 
management in  work:     "Young  ladies,  make 
your  heads  save  your  heels." 

How  often  in  the  heart  to  heart  talks  certain 
afternoons  in  Chapel,  has  she  warned  us  against 
questionable  people,  books,  or  other  influences  by 
saying,  "You  cannot  touch  pitch  and  not  be  de- 
filed." "Confusion  stirred  with  a  stick"  was  an- 
other pithy  saying  to  describe  general  disorder  in 
a  room  or  elsewhere. 

Many  times  during  my  life  at  College  I  have 
heard  her  read  the  last  chapter  of  Proverbs,  and 
I  think  now  how  perfectly  the  latter  part  of  verse 
30  described  her:  "but  a  woman  that  feareth  the 
Lord,  she  shall  be  praised." 


May  1. 

PILGRIMAGE  TO  SUNNYSIDE 
May  4,   1914 

PTLGEIMAGES   are  made  in   reverent   affection 
in  the  desire  to  derive  inspiration  and  exul- 
tation  of  spirit.      This  spot  is  fraught  with 
such  a  spirit.     It  is  a  holy  spot  to  all  who  know 
Mrs.    Mills;   knew   her,   understood  her,  loved  her, 
and  are  grateful  for  her  many  benefits. 

Through  generation  after  generation,  long  after 
we,  too,  are  gathered  into  the  Heavenly  circle,  will 
the  name  and  the  work  of  Mrs.  Mills  live  and  be 
known. 

If  Mills  College  lives,  and  it  will  live,  its  greatest 
honor  will  be  the  honor  it  confers  on  Mrs.  Mills' 
memory;  its  greatest  work  will  be  that  which  it 
carries  out  in  her  name. 

As  Mary  Lyon  will  always  be  the  greatest  name 
in  connection  with  Mt.  Holyoke,  so  will  that  of 
Susan  Lincoln  Mills  be  the  greatest,  in  connection 
with  Mills  College. 

These  few  words  will  be  devoted  to  the  humani- 
tarian side  of  her  nature: 

First,  her  love  for  her  "girls." 
Second,  her  love  for  Mills  College. 
Third,  her  love  for  all  suffering  creatures. 

To  thoroughly  understand  girls  and  boys,  an 
adult  must  have  an  accurate  recollection  of  her  own 
youthful  days;  she  must  have  a  keen  discernment, 
being  able  to  discriminate,  sift  out,  and  correctly 
estimate  motives;  she  must  have  firmness  and  de- 
cision; she  must  be  able  to  appreciate  wit;  wit  of 
all  kinds — good  wit,  poor  wit,  indifferent  wit;  she 
must  have  a  reverential  soul  which,  in  turn,  inspires 
reverence  and  respect;  she  must  have  a  great  big 
heart  full  of  love  and  kindness  for  all  creatures, 
big  and  small,  high  and  low.  And  these,  Mrs.  Mills 
had;  some  of  them,  to  a  remarkable  degree. 


May  2. 

ALL  of  her  power,  all  of  her  effort  and  of  her 
affection,  went  out  to  her  girls  here  at  Mills, 
and  she  remembered  them  always  during 
years  after  they  had  stepped  out  of  school-life  into 
life's  work,  and  even  when  age  came  upon  her,  and 
she  had  given  up  her  active  service,  how  often  that 
dark  eye  lighted  up  at  mention  of  some  loved  name 
of  one  who  had  been  with  her  even  many  years 
before. 

She  always  considered  the  welfare  of  girls.  Every- 
thing that  was  conducive  to  comfort  and  to  hap- 
piness she  accomplished,  if  it  were  possible. 

One  of  the  last  things  she  did  was  to  fit  up  a  room 
as  a  Social  Hall  for  the  girls.  "A  fire-place  must 
be  built  in,  so  that  it  will  be  cheerful,  and  it  will 
give  warmth,  and  help  ventilation,  too,  don't  you 
think?"  with  a  twinkle  in  her  eye  and  an  accent 
on  the  "ventilation."  The  quiet  humor  that  she 
so  often  showed  was  delightful. 

She  bought  the  Victrola  for  that  room;  she  ar- 
ranged the  pictures,  too.  Old-fashioned  pictures 
they  may  be,  but  they  strike  a  hallowed  and  loved 
chord  in  all  our  hearts.  And  in  years  to  come,  it 
will  be  the  proudest  possession  of  Mills  College  to 
cherish  what  she  loved  and  put  into  place. 

Many  girls  owe  their  education  and  their  start 
in  life,  to  Mrs.  Mills'  philanthropy.  No  one  in 
need  appealed  in  vain  to  her.  I  know  of  instances 
where  she  could  have  used  her  income  with  ad- 
vantage, on  herself,  but  instead  gave  it  freely  to 
and  for  others.  .  .  .  Many  repaid  her  in  affection 
and  service  and  a  few  were  ungrateful  and  fault- 
finding, but  here  she  showed  a  rare  virtue,  the 
spirit  of  forgiveness — she  forgave  again  and  again, 
even  unto  death.  Wonderful  mother-love! 

Her  love  of  nature  manifested  itself  in  the  love 
for  these  beautiful  grounds.  Every  flower,  every 
shrub,  every  tree,  she  knew  and  cherished.  This 
tree  must  be  nourished  and  helped;  that  shrub  must 
be  cared  for;  the  paths  must  be  cleared  of  weeds; 
the  old  branches  and  fallen  leaves  must  be  taken 
away;  and  yet,  nature  must  have  some  abandon; 
it  must  not  be  too  closely  conventionalized.  The 
result  is,  the  campus  is  one  of  the  most  charming 
spots  on  the  coast.  .  .  .  (See  May  15.) 


May  3. 


MISSIONARY  CHANT. 

A  favorite  of  Mr.  Mills.     It  was  sung  at  his  Graduation, 
and  also  at  his  Funeral. 


M 


Y  soul  is  not  at  rest;  there  comes  a  strange 
And  secret  whisper  to  my  spirit,  like 
A  dream  at  night,  that  tells  me  I  am  on 
Enchanted  ground.    Why  live  I  here?  The  vows 
Of  God  are  on  me,  and  I  may  not  stop 
To  play  with  shadows  or  pluek  earthly  flowers, 
Till  I  my  work  have  done,  and  rendered  my 
Account.     The  voice  of  my  departed  Lord, 
' '  Go  teach  all  nations, ' '  from  the  Eastern  world 
Comes  on  the  night  air  and  awakes  my  ear, 
And  I  will  gladly  go.    From  henceforth,  then, 
It  matters  not  if  storm  or  sunshine  be 
My  earthly  lot,  bitter  or  sweet  my  cup; 
I  only  pray,  "God  fit  me  for  the  work, 
God  make  me  holy,  and  my  spirit  nerve 
For  the  stern  hour  of  strife.' '    Let  me  but  know 
There  is  an  arm  unseen  that  holds  me  up, 
An  eye  that  kindly  watches  all  my  path, 
Till  I  my  earthly  pilgrimage  have  done. 
Let  me  but  know  I  have  a  friend  that  waits 
To  welcome  me  to  glory,  and  I  joy 
To  tread  the  dark  and  death-fraught  wilderness. 
And  when  I  come  to  lay  me  down  to  rest 
To  sleep  the  blessed  sleep — it  will  be  sweet 
That  I  have  toiled  for  other  world  than  this — 
Yea,  very  sweet.     And  when  I  reach  my  home 
With  all  the  conflict  past,  if  one  for  whom 
Satan  has  struggled  as  he  has  for  me, 
Should  ever  reach  that  blissful  shore,  O  how 
This  heart  will  flame  with  gratitude  and  love! 
And  through  the  ages  of  eternal  years 
Thus  saved,  my  spirit  never  shall  repent 
That  toil  and  suffering,  once  were  mine  below. 


May  4. 

THE  REVEREND  CYRUS  TAGGART  MILLS,  D.  D. 

Born   Paris,   N.  Y.,   May  4,   1819. 
Died  Seminary  Park,  April  20,  1884. 

Mark   the   perfect   man   and   behold   the  upright,   for  the 
end  of  that  man  is  peace. — Psalm  37:37. 


CYRUS  T.  MILLS  had  but  one  aim  in  life;  to 
serve  God  while  serving  his  fellowmen;  and 
God  surely  raised  up  a  wife  for  him,  since 
in  no  one  else,  could  he  have  found  the  true  help- 
meet that  he  did  in  Susan  Tolman  who  from  her 
childhood  had  consecrated  herself  to  God. 

Although  in  his  best  health  in  California's  cli- 
mate, he  was  never  very  strong  and  would  often  be 
confined  to  his  room,  but  his  mind  was  always  clear 
and  active.  He  could  plan  even  on  a  couch  of 
pain, — and  what  his  brain  conceived,  Mrs.  Mills 
with  her  wonderful  executive  ability  carried  out. 
I  cannot  think  of  one  without  the  other.  In  their 
work  they  were  like  two  parts  of  one  perfect  ma- 
chine, each  having  its  part  to  perform  yet  working 
in  such  perfect  harmony  that  only  success  could 
result. 

Together,  hand  in  hand,  heart  in  heart,  mind  in 
mind,  yea,  soul  in  soul,  these  two  great  minds  wove 
themselves  into  Mills  College  as  it  stands  today. 

When  health  would  permit,  Mr.  Mills  was  sociable 
and  friendly;  more  than  ordinarily  quick-witted,  he 
loved  to  challenge  others  in  brilliant  conversation. 

He  was  a  splendid  teacher.  He  refused  to  accept 
a  statement  simply  because  "the  book  said  so," 
but  carefully  sifted  and  weighed  each  subject,  and 
gave  to  his  pupils  only  that  which  he  knew  to  be 
best. 


May  5. 

(From  May  4) 

DE.  MILLS  held  the  reins  of  government,  but 
left  to  Mrs.  Mills  the  mothering  of  the  girls; 
he    rendering    final    judgment    only    in    such 
cases  as  were  carried  to  him  as  to  a  higher  court. 

He  was  fond  of  all  games  wherein  wits  were 
matched,  and  proved  a  merciless  opponent.  Whether 
in  social  game  or  business  transaction,  he  played 
fair  but  played  to  win.  Dishonesty  he  could  not 
tolerate. 


Mr.  Mills  was  fond  of  playing  chess,  parchesi, 
and  croquet.  He  was  also  fond  of  archery.  As  I 
look  back  now,  it  may  not  have  been  so  much  his 
pleasure  in  the  game  as  in  the  opportunity  it  af- 
forded to  give  a  valuable  lesson  to  a  young  girl 
entirely  under  his  and  Mrs.  Mills'  care;  that  is, 
when  he  played  with  me. 

One  night  while  playing  Parchesi,  I  thought  he 
did  not  count  correctly  and  I  did  not  hesitate  to 
say  so  and  maintain  my  point.  Finally,  he  looked 
at  me  and  said,  "My  child,  you  are  quite  right, 
and  when  you  know  you  are  right  never  be  afraid 
to  say  so,  but  keep  your  temper  and  use  your 
reason. 

' '  Life,  too,  is  a  game  in  which  we  play  many 
parts  and  need  the  help  of  the  Lord.  Now  we  will 
play  another  game. " 


May  6. 


A   word   fitly   spoken   is   like   apples  of  gold  in  pictures 
of  silver. — Proverbs  25:11. 


DEAR    Dr.    Mills!      His    signature    is    slightly 
faded  on  those  old  diplomas  of  ours,  but  his 
voice  and  kindly  face  have  not  faded  from 
our  memories. 

It  is  said  that  "The  men  and  women  that  are 
lifting  the  world  upward  and  onward  are  those 
who  encourage  more  than  criticize."  And  so  it  was 
with  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Mills.  Advice  and  encour- 
agement always  took  away  the  sting  of  criticism. 


Mills  Collegians,  cherish  memories  as  dearly  as 
we  of  the  past  have  done.  As  the  years  pass  on 
lengthening  your  perspective  as  they  have  ours, 
the  pictures  in  memory's  gallery  of  Mills  days  will 
become  more  tender  in  feeling,  more  lovely  in  color, 
and  Mills  Hall  to  you,  will  be  what  dear  old  Sem- 
inary Hall  is  to  us  of  the  Seminary,  knowing  it 
holds  within  its  walls  the  secrets  of  your  girlish 
dreams  as  it  does  ours. 


May  7. 

Our  Responsibilities  According  to  What  We  Have 
Eeceived. 


ye     have     received,     freely     give." 
These  were  her  words   often   spoken.     She 
felt  that  this  applied  in  a  spiritual  and  a 
moral  as  well  as  in  a  literal  sense. 

If  one  had  unusual  mental  gifts,  the  world  should 
be  enriched  by  the  use  of  these  gifts;  if  one  had 
the  power  to  touch  other  lives  and  quicken  them 
into  a  more  reverent  appreciation  of  God's  mercies, 
that  power  should  be  used;  if  one  possessed  worldly 
goods  in  great  or  small  degree,  these  should  be 
shared  with  less  fortunate  brothers. 

This  dear  friend  helped  me  in  many  ways,  spirit- 
ually and  morally,  which  are  too  sacred  to  give  to 
any  page,  and  she  helped  me  financially,  too. 

In  after  years  when  I  was  able  to  pay  back  what 
I  owed  in  cold  dollars,  she  said  with  her  kindly 
smile  and  kindly  pressure  of  the  hand,  "You  have 
repaid  me  many  times,  dear  child,  just  pass  it  on 
to  others." 

"Pass  it  on  to  others,"  it  seems  to  me,  was  the 
key-note  of  her  beautiful  life. 

"Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give." 


May  8. 

Te  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon. — Mat.  6:24 

Set    your   mind    on    things    that    are    above,    not   on    the 
things  that  are  upon  the  earth. — Col.  3  :2. 


Work  out  your  own  salvation  .  .  .  for  it  is  God  that 
worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleas- 
ure.—Phil.  2:12,  18. 


44»"T"»REASURE  the  words  and  the  truths  of  the 
Bible.  There  is  a  beauty  and  strength  in 
Scripture  language  that  is  found  nowhere 

else.' ' 

"I  am  so  glad  I  was  required  to  commit  verses 
of  the  Scriptures  and  hymns  when  I  was  young. ' ' 

"It  is  certainly  a  calamity  to  have  an  unsubdued 
will,  but  a  blessing  to  have  strong  desires  yielded 
to  a  higher  and  holier  will." 

"If  we  cannot  yield  our  will  in  little  things, 
it  will  almost  certainly  bring  us  greater  trials." 

"Other  things  being  equal,  you  are  under  more 
obligation  because  of  your  opportunities  here. 
Privilege  and  responsibility  go  hand  in  hand." 

"My  heart  goes  out  in  great  tenderness  to  those 
parents  who  have  entrusted  their  daughters  to  my 
care.  Those  fathers  and  mothers  have  no  choicer 
treasures  than  their  precious  daughters.  Who  am 
I,  that  they  should  be  willing  to  entrust  their 
daughters  to  my  care!" 

"What  an  inexpressible  tenderness  in  the  thought 
that  you  may  all  be  preparing  for  heaven,  here." 


May  9. 

FE  nine  years,  Mrs.  Mills  was  a  mother  to  me... 
and  as  long  as  she  lived  was  a  loving  friend 
and  adviser. 

She  had  neither  time  nor  money  to  spend  on  her 
own  pleasure,  though,  a  generous  supply  of  both 
for  her  friends  or  those  who  needed  her  assistance. 

When  asked  why  she  did  not  accompany  her  sister 
on  a  trip  abroad,  she  replied,  "I  cannot  afford  the 
money,"  yet,  at  that  time,  she  spent  many  times 
the  amount  such  a  trip  would  require,  on  friends 
and  new  College  buildings.  Only  when  her  failing 
health  demanded  a  change,  could  she  be  persuaded 
to  lay  aside  her  work,  and  go  east  or  to  the  Islands 
for  a  few  weeks. 

Her  ability  to  intuitively  read  character,  was 
more  than  remarkable.  I  have  known  her  assign 
rooms  to  over  one  hundred  girls,  before  the  opening 
of  the  school;  pairing  off  as  room-mates,  those  who 
had  never  met  and  whom  she  had  not  seen  more 
than  once,  and  then,  not  be  obliged  to  make  more 
than  two  or  three  changes  after  a  few  days'  trial. 
This  was  done,  too,  without  the  aid  of  written  lists, 
as  she  depended  alone  upon  her  wonderful  memory. 

She  knew  the  name,  room-number,  and  the  home 
address  of  every  student,  in  less  than  a  day  after 
the  opening.  Doubtless,  in  later  years  when  she 
began  to  rely  upon  the  help  of  a  secretary,  she  may 
have  resorted  to  lists,  but  not  in  my  day. 


May  10. 

AUNTIE    MILLS  was  always  busy,  but    never 
took   time   to   tell   others   of   how  much   she 
had   to   do   or  had  already  done  during  the 
day.     I  never  knew  her  to  be  late  for  any  routine 
work,   neither   did   she  come   early  enough   to   idly 
wait  for  the  signal  to  be  given. 

She  fairly  flew  from  one  task  to  another.  It 
was  our  habit,  learned  from  experience,  to  stand 
still  in  the  hall  if  we  were  looking  for  her,  for 
she  was  sure  to  come  that  way  soon,  and  none  of 
us  were  spry  enough  to  follow  her  Sittings. 

She  way  always  busy,  but  never  too  much  so  to 
show  an  interest  in  each  girl's  pleasures,  or  sym- 
pathy in  her  sorrows. 

She  watched  closely  the  health  of  each  student 
and  prayerfully  guided  her  spiritual  growth. 

If  there  had  been  but  one  child,  she  could  not 
have  received  more  careful  thought  than  Mrs.  Mills 
gave  to  each  of  the  two  hundred  or  more  under  her 
care. 

She  never  allowed  herself  to  stay  in  a  rut,  but 
kept  abreast  of  the  times,  gladly  welcoming  any 
change  which  tended  to  the  bettering  and  uplifting 
of  young  women. 

Her  dream  of  seeing  the  Seminary  become  a 
College  was  fulfilled  but  a  short  time  before  her 
soul  took  its  flight  to  the  better  land. 


May  11. 

JOSIAH  KEEP 

Born  1849;  died  1911 

Faculty  Member  over  twenty-five  years. 

ON  the   occasion   of  Professor  Keep's  birthday, 
May   11,    1905,   Mrs.   Mills  presented   him   a 
loving  cup  in  behalf  of  Faculty  and  Students. 
Upon  that  occasion  she  made  these  remarks: 

In  the  year  1849,  gold  was  discovered  in  Cali- 
fornia. .  .  .  Those  who  arrived  here  that  year 
are  known  as  Forty-niners. 

That  same  year,  in  a  quiet  little  town  of  Mass- 
achusetts, there  was  born  one  who  was  destined 
to  help  in  shaping  the  life  and  history  of  California 
and  its  people. 

This  was  our  forty-niner,  Josiah  Keep,  who  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century  has  done  good  work  on  this 
Western  Slope.  He  has  studied  and  described  the 
shells  of  the  sea  and  of  the  land;  the  flowers  that 
beautify  the  country,  and  the  starry  heavens  that 
declare  the  glory  of  God. 

An  enthusiastic  and  faithful  teacher;  the  loyal 
friend  and  helper;  the  Christian  gentleman,  always. 

Pure  gold  he  is,  and  we  are  glad  to  honor  him  on 
his  birthday. 

We  are  too  apt  in  this  busy  life  of  ours  to  neglect 
to  tell  our  friends  that  we  love  them,  that  we 
thank  them  and  appreciate  what  they  do  for  us, 
but  we  who  are  here  tonight,  wish  to  express  our 
love,  our  gratitude,  and  our  high  esteem  for  our 
good  friend  and  teacher,  Josiah  Keep,  and — that  he 
may  keep  in  mind  our  loyalty  and  our  love — we, 
the  Faculty  and  the  Students,  present  this  loving- 
cup. 

We  hope  and  pray  that  his  years  may  be  many 
and  full  of  blessing  for  himself  and  for  all  about 
him. 


"Because  he  carried  love  within  his  heart, 

None  ever  guessed  even  half  the  joy  he  knew, 

Nor  yet  how  well  he  lived  life's  greater  part; 
To  him  the  skies  above  were  ever  blue, 

Because  he  carried  love  within  hie  heart." 


May  12. 

MY  birthday  date  is  May  11.  Mrs.  Mills  advice 
to  the  girls  was  to  always  tell  the  truth. 
One  of  the  Bible  quotations  that  I  can 
never  forget,  ' '  The  Lord  has  been  my  dwelling 
place  in  all  generations."  We  were  called  upon 
each  evening  to  recite  the  Bible  verse  assigned 
the  evening  before.  The  girl  next  me  thinking  she 
might  be  called  upon  asked  me  for  the  verse.  In 
sport  I  said:  "The  Lord  has  been  my  dwelling 
house  in  all  generations,"  whereupon  I  was  called 
upon  and  for  the  life  of  me  could  not  say  the  verse 
correctly. 

Mrs.  Mills'  memory  was  wonderful,  and  it  was 
a  lovely  phase  of  her  character,  that  she  never 
forgot  one  of  her  pupils. 

I  had  not  seen  Mrs.  Mills  for  over  ten  years 
when  I  met  her  in  the  City  of  Paris;  she  looked 
at  me  a  moment  and  said,  "My  dear  child,  I  have 
not  seen  you  for  such  a  long  time.  Now,  Lily,  do 
come  to  see  us  and  bring  your  little  boy."  I  think 
it  wonderful. 


Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place  in  all  genera- 
tions. Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,  or  ever 
thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  and  the  world,  even  from  ever- 
lasting to  everlasting,  thou  art  God. 

So  teach  us  to  number  our  days,  that  we  may  apply 
our  hearts  unto  wisdom. 

O  satisfy  us  early  with  thy  mercy;  that  we  may  rejoice 
and  be  glad  all  our  days. — Psalm  90:1,  2,  12,  14. 


May  13. 

1ONCE  had  the  pleasure  of  making  a  trip  from 
Los   Angeles   to   Oakland  with  Mr.   Mills.     He 
had   been   to   Pomona    on   business.     With   me, 
were  Judge  and  Mrs.   Sawyer,   Miss  Cora  Sawyer, 
and  my  boys  who  were  then  little  fellows. 

Mr.  Mills  was  so  delighted  with  the  boys,  that 
he  spent  the  whole  day  with  them,  talking  to 
them  and  listening  to  their  prattle. 

Several  times  did  Judge  Sawyer,  who  was  a 
Trustee  of  the  College,  attempt  to  engage  him  in 
conversation  relating  to  school  matters  but  he  had 
to  give  it  up,  for  Mr.  Mills  was  interested  in  noth- 
ing, just  then,  but  two  baby  boys  who  would  play 
with  him. 

It  was  a  side  of  his  character  I  had  never  seen 
before,  and  I  was  intensely  interested  myself  in 
watching  him. 

When  we  were  leaving  the  train,  Mr.  Mills  said 
to  me,  "Virginia,  I  have  had  a  happy  day  and  do 
bring  the  babies  out  to  see  Mrs.  Mills  soon,  for 
she  is  so  fond  of  little  boys." 

I  always  thought  it  was  only  girls  that  Mrs.  Mills 
was  fond  of,  but  I  discovered  that  she  liked  boys, 
too. 


May  14. 

1KNOW  of  no  lovelier  place  than  Mills  College 
with    its    pleasant   memories   of   Mr.    and   Mrs. 
Mills,  their  earnest,  steady,  quiet  work  for  the 
benefit  of  the  school  and  their  beloved  scholars. 

Mrs.  Mills  needs  no  eulogy.  All  who  knew  her 
can  never  forget  her;  her  influence  is  lasting;  her 
example  wholesome,  energetic,  steadfast. 

We  are  all  better  for  having  lived  in  her  presence 
and  having  enjoyed  her  thoughtful  kindness. 

She  always  rejoiced  to  meet  her  friends  and 
loved  them  as  her  very  own. 


I  am  thankful  for  an  opportunity  to  pay  this 
tribute  to  Mrs.  Mills.  I  cannot  hope  to  do  justice 
to  her  many  gifts  and  noble  traits  of  character, 
but  I  will  try  to  convey  to  others,  the  love  and 
respect  I  feel  for  her  memory. 


I  never  could  do  Mrs.  Mills  all  the  justice  I  feel 
her  due.  I  have  always  felt  so  grateful  for  what 
I  learned  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  not  in  the  cur- 
riculum; so  much  not  laid  down  in  books,  that  has 
helped  shape  my  life  and  has  inspired  me  to  do 
the  best  possible,  wherever  I  have  been  placed. 


May  15. 

I  AM  glad  she  will  not  hear  the  whistle  of  the 
flying  train  across  these  grounds.  (Every  effort 
should  be  made  by  all  who  loved  her,  all  who 
are  interested  in  Mills  College,  interested  for  selfish 
reasons  or  otherwise,  to  prevent  the  going  thru 
these  grounds  of  any  railroad,  cutting  off  Sunnyside 
from  the  College  campus.  Sunnyside,  the  holy  spot 
of  Mills  College,  should  not  be  so  separated,  how- 
ever attractive  the  inducements  may  be.  In  this 
case,  just  as  helpful  ends  would  be  gained,  were  the 
railroad  to  pass  around  to  the  other  side  of  Tolman 
Cottage.) 

Her  humanities  were  of  the  broadest,  sweetest 
kind;  and  she  was  no  idle  impracticable  sentimen- 
talist. She  was  always  ready  to  help  in  a  practical 
telling  way.  Many  there  are  who  extend  sympathy 
in  sweetest  words,  but  few  there  are  who  give  kind 
words  and  the  wherewithal  to  live  at  the  same  time. 

During  the  war,  she  extended  her  hospitality  to 
a  number  of  sick  soldiers,  gave  them  a  home,  and 
medical  care,  and  they  went  out  well  and  strong — 
and  better  men  for  having  known  her. 

After  the  fire  of  1906,  she  sheltered  and  assisted 
many  refugees.  She  herself  was  just  convalescing 
from  pneumonia — one  of  her  worst  illnesses — yet, 
when  told  of  the  great  calamity,  her  first  solicitude 
was  for  friends  who  were  in  the  midst  of  it. 

These,  she  assisted  with  food,  with  clothing,  with 
money;  but  the  greatest  thing  of  all  she  gave  them, 
was  renewal  of  faith  in  God's  love.  They  took 
heart  again,  and  courage  to  go  forth  to  do,  and  to 
battle  with  life,  and,  with  all,  not  to  forget  to 
thank  Him  for  all  His  mercies. 

How  thankful  we  are  that  your  life  touched  BO 
many  lives,  and  how  thankful  we  are  that  we  have 
so  rich  a  heritage  from  you. 

Wonderful  woman,  wonderful  missionary,  great 
worker  and  gleaner  in  the  harvest-field  of  life!  how 
rich  must  be  thy  reward! 


May  16. 


DAVID  HEWES. 

Born  1822.     Lives  at   "Anapauma,"   Orange. 
A  California  Pioneer,  and  an  Old  Friend  of  Mrs.  Mills. 

The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall  be  glad  for 
them;  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice,  and  blossom  as  the 
rose. — Isaiah  35:1 


{fT^HIS  is  just  as  true  today,  as  it  was  when 
Isaiah  was  singing  his  songs  760  years 
before  the  Christian  era,  to  the  people  of 
Judea. 

"There  have  been  men  in  all  times  whose  special 
mission  on  earth  seemed  to  be  to  beautify  and  to 
bring  into  productiveness  the  bare  and  waste  places. 

"Southern  California  has  been  blessed  with 
countless  numbers  of  these  true  philanthropists  .  .  . 
Men  who  came  here  and  uprooted  the  cactus,  and 
planted  the  vine  and  fig-tree;  took  the  barren  hills 
and  planted  flowers  and  made  them  to  bloom. 

"One  of  the  most  splendid  evidences  of  this 
spirit  is  manifested  in  the  development  and  beauti- 
fying of  the  Anapauma  (place  of  rest)  Eanch, 
which  was  purchased  by  Mr.  David  Hewes,  the 
present  owner,  25  years  ago  when  it  was  a  sheep 
ranch." 


Mr.  Hewes  left  his  home  in  the  Southland  on 
Thursday,  December  12,  1912,  to  visit  his  old  friend, 
Mrs.  Susan  Lincoln  Mills  who,  he  had  heard,  was 
not  well.  But  while  he  was  on  his  way  hither,  her 
spirit  had  winged  its  flight  to  her  heavenly  home. 

"Prominent  at  the  graveside  was  the  Honorable 
David  Hewes,  a  well-known  California  pioneer,  who 
was  one  of  the  original  Trustees  of  Mills  College." 

Mr.  Hewes  is  the  donor  of  the  melodious  bells 
that  chime  hourly  from  El  Campanil,  the  attractive 
bell-tower  across  the  campus  from  Mills  Hall.  He 
has  contributed  toward  endowment,  and  helped  the 
College  in  various  ways. 

Mrs.  Mills  often  said  in  effect,  "I  cannot  say 
enough  in  praise  of  this  good  friend.  He  has  been 
constant  and  helpful  always." 

Mr.  Hewes  is  nearly  93  years  of  age,  and  is  still 
active,  physically  and  mentally. 


May  17. 


THE  FOUNDER  AND  BUILDER. 
Sonnet. 

faith  as  his  is  victory!"    To  rear 
As  did  those  Master  Builders  of  old  time 
A    structure'    wondrous,    that    shall    tower 

and  climb 

Through  future  ages,  till  the  whole  appear 
A  vision   'carnate  from  another  sphere; 

With  humble  heart  to  hold  a  thought  sublime 
And  listen  to  the  deeper  truths  that  chime 
As  messages  of  hope — doth  cast  our  fear. 

All  noble  souls  inspire  to  greater  deeds 

For  God  and  Man,  the  kindred  hearts  that  serve; 
From  faith  like  his,  a  wondrous  power  thrills 

Adown  the  years,  where  faith  responsive,  heeds 
The  still  small  voice,  and  men  disheartened,  nerve 
Themselves  again  to  battle  'gainst  earth's  ills. 

HELENE  CONWAY  MAY,  S  '05. 
For  Founders'  Day,  May  4,  1905. 


May  18. 

PILGRIMAGE  TO  SUNNYSIDE. 
May  4,   1914 

THIRTY    years   ago    last    month,    Mr.   Mills,    in 
honor  of  whose  memory  and  achievement  we 
make    this    pilgrimage    with    each    recurring 
Fourth  of  May,  was  buried  at  this  spot.     It  was 
originally  selected  by  him  and  Mrs.  Mills,  as  the 
site  of  their  little  home  to  be,  and  called  Sunnyside. 
The   inscription   on   the   shaft   tells   us   that   Cyrus 
Taggart  Mills  was  born  in  Paris,  N.  Y.,  in  1819. 
*»«**«* 

When  Mr.  Mills  sought  this  section  as  the  favor- 
able spot  for  the  transplanting  of  the  school  from 
Benicia,  San  Francisco  was  reached  only  by  boat. 
The  terminus  of  the  local  train,  was  East  Oakland, 
then  called  Brooklyn.  .  .  . 

The  trees  here  were  our  oaks  and  buckeyes,  and 
the  young  alders  in  the  creek.  Think  now  of  all  the 
country  beyond  Seminary  avenue  to  Evergreen  and 
on  to  Hayward;  from  our  fence-line  to  Beulah;  and, 
also  the  adjoining  field  extending  down  to  and 
beyond  the  Tolman  Cottage;  then  picture  all  this 
acreage  as  comparatively  unsettled,  and  traversed 
only  by  private  conveyance,  and  you  will  wonder 
how  Mr.  Mills  ever  found  this  spot,  and  having 
found  it,  how  he  could  get  the  impress  of  the  vision 
of  its  future,  and  then  proceed  to  make  this  vision 
a  reality. 

But  therein  his  wonder  lay.  His  was  a  prophetic 
outlook,  but  with  it  was  great  executive  ability. 
To  his  artistic  soul  was  related  a  practical  mind. 


May  19. 

(From  May  18) 

HE  possessed,  too,  an  earnest  Christian  zeal,  un- 
flagging courage,  and  an  untiring  energy — all 
brightened    by    a    quiet    genial    humor.     His 
intuitive    knowledge    of   men    with    "his  sanctified 
common     sense,     sound    judgment,     and    executive 
ability,"   formed  the  basis  of  those  rare  business 
qualities   which    made    him    financially    successful. 
"Qualities   that    gave   beneficent   results   in   India, 
in  Hawaii,  in  California. "... 

Our  own  recent  lack  of  success  in  having  our 
avenue  called  Mills  College  Avenue  makes  us  wonder 
at  what  he  accomplished  that  first  year,  so  plainly 
told  in  the  names  Seminary  Avenue  and  Seminary 
Park  Station. 


Mr.  Mills  personally  superintended  the  planting 
of  thousands  of  trees.  He  seemed  to  "dip  into  the 
future,"  and  understood  just  where  new  walks 
would  later  be  made,  and  new  roadways  needed. 
There  was  magic  in  his  touch  as  in  his  thought; 
the  beautiful  poplar  beyond  that  palm  was  a  sapling 
branch  which  he  thrust  into  the  ground  to  support 
a  young  rose  bush. 

The  same  prophetic  foresight  that  led  him  hither, 
from  Benieia  eventually  took  him  to  Pomona.  .  .  . 
In  this  section  with  its  possibilities,  he  saw  the 
ways  and  means  of  securing  much  for  his  loved 
Seminary  .  .  .  and  for  the  upbuilding  of  the 
College  designed  to  follow. 


May  20. 

MB.  WELLER  of  Pomona  referring  to  Dr.  Mills 
as  'the  much  loved  President  of  Mills 
Seminary,  the  efficient  President  of  the 
Pomona  Land  and  Water  Company,  the  magnan- 
imous and  generous  President  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
Pomona  Church,'  said:  "But  we  know  him  best 
as  the  frail,  tireless,  genial,  generous,  large-hearted 
planner,  and  organizer,  who  made  the  sleepy  un- 
known town  of  Pomona  waken  and  grow,  and  bloom, 
and  blossom,  and  waft  the  perfume  of  its  orange 
blossoms  throughout  all  the  States." 

But  it  was  at  Pomona  that  he  received  the  injury 
that  cost  him  his  life.  .  .  . 

As  his  last  moments  drew  near  he  said,  "God  is 
good."  These  were  his  last  words.  Here  at  Sunny- 
side  his  body  was  placed  upon  a  bed  of  white  roses 
in  that  "low  green  tent  whose  curtain  never  out- 
ward swings." 

Dear  Mrs.  Mills,  his  faithful  companion  and  de- 
voted co-worker,  was  spared  many  years  to  carry 
out  alone  plans  they  had  mutually  formed,  and  to 
further  the  advancement  of  the  work  to  which  they 
had  mutually  consecrated  their  lives. 

Who  can  say  that  there  does  not  linger  about 
our  College  the  spirits  of  these  devoted  founders 
and  of  those  so  closely  associated  with  them, 
Miss  Tolman  and  Professor  Keep. 


Dear  Mr.  Mills,  I  knew  him  well  and  was  very 
fond  of  him.  His  was  a  deep,  quiet,  kindly,  sym- 
pathetic soul.  His  sensitive  reticent  nature  under- 
stood as  few  ever  understood,  my  own  timid  unde- 
monstrative girl  nature.  Is  it  a  wonder  then  that 
my  memory  of  him  is  a  cherished  jewel  in  Friend- 
ship's casket? 


May  21. 

DR.  MILLS  illustrated  in  his  life  his  faithful- 
ness to  the  highest  standard  of  duty.     He 
exacted  the  same  loyalty  to  duty  from  all 
who  worked  with  him.    If  any  fell  short  they  might 
feel     an    uncomfortable    pressure.     He    had    little 
patience  with  shams  and  subterfuges. 

He  himself  working  toward  the  highest  ideal; 
the  very  strength  of  his  character  made  him  an 
exacting  man.  He  gave  the  best  possible  service, 
and  he  wanted  nothing  less  from  others. 

If  he  encountered  some  adverse  criticism,  as 
well  as  his  consort,  time  has  brought  the  fullest 
vindication.  Within  a  plain  exterior  there  were 
the  gentleness .  and  largeness  of  a  sympathetic 
nature. 

He  loved  the  order  and  the  beauty  that  his  taste 
and  toil  had  created.  He  liked  the  voices  of  the 
young  and  all  the  innocent  freedom  and  mirth 
that  sweetened  his  daily  life. 

The  austere  man  mellowed  in  the  atmosphere  of 
childhood,  and  in  his  presence  there  was  a  daily 
benediction. 

When  Dr.  Mills'  work  was  done,  no  man  in  this 
State  had  ever  made  so  munificent  a  gift  to  the 
cause  of  public  education. 

His  path  as  a  pioneer  is  luminous  and  his  work, 
monumental. 


May  22. 

FOUNDERS  DAY. 
May  4.   1910. 

IN    the    whole    round    of    ceremonies    and   events 
which   mark   the   passing   of   the   College   year, 
this  pilgrimage  is  to  me  the  most  beautiful  of 
all,  and  to  be  permitted  to  offer  here  my  tribute 
of  loving  gratitude,  is  a  privilege  indeed. 

That  word  privilege!  When  in  the  hot  arrogance 
of  youth  I  fretted  or  rebelled  over  some  disagree- 
able task,  how  many  times  has  Dr.  Mills  with  hit 
quiet  gentleness,  brought  order  out  of  chaos,  as  he 
said: 

"Think  of  it,  my  child,  as  a  privilege,  not  a 
duty." 

So  as  I  review  his  life  among  us,  all  his  work 
seems  to  have  been  animated  by  that  spirit  of  lov- 
ing consecration,  which  meant  to  him  the  Privilege 
of  Service. 

Few  are  here  today,  who  ever  met  Dr.  Mills, 
fewer  still  who  really  knew  him,  but  it  was  my 
great  privilege  to  call  him  Friend  ...  to  know 
him  for  many  years,  as  friend  and  teacher,  coun- 
selor and  guide.  .  .  . 

Out  of  the  fullness  of  my  heart  I  want  to  speak 
of  some  of  the  little  things  which  may  make  you 
feel  more  "at  home"  with  him  as  it  were — to  think 
of  him  as  a  living  presence,  a  co-worker,  one  who 
could  enter  with  you  into  the  homely  details  of 
your  daily  life. 

For  Dr.  Mills  was  essentially  human  in  his  in- 
terests, broad  as  well  as  deep,  with  an  intellect 
which  reveled  in  abstruse  philosophy,  and  held 
the  starry  heavens  in  his  grasp,  yet  loved  so  ten- 
derly, the  violet  at  his  feet.  (To  May  26.) 


M 


May  23. 

ES.  MILLS  was  one  of  the  great  women  of 
our  day,  and  as  time  passes  her  true  worth 
will  be  more  and  more  recognized. 

To  outsiders  she  was  a  business  woman,  a  re^ 
turned  missionary,  or  an  educator — but  to  us  who 
knew  her  more  intimately,  she  was  a  friend  and 
guide,  leading  us  toward  the  highest  and  best. 

She  called  us  "my  girls"  and  each  one  of  us 
knew  that  we  had  a  place  all  our  own  in  her  heart, 
for  it  was  large  enough  for  all  of  us.  How  she 
loved  to  have  us  all  back  on  Founders  Day  or  for 
any  special  day! 

I  said  that  many  thought  of  Mrs.  Mills  as  a  mis- 
sionary returned  from  her  labor,  but  we  knew  that 
she  was  still  a  missionary  at  heart,  and  that  she 
hoped  all  of  us  would  be  true  missionaries.  One 
of  her  sayings,  often  repeated,  was: 

"Whatever  you 

girls  may  gain   here    (at   Mills)    that   is  good  and 
true,  be  sure  to  pass  it  on  to  others  that  you  meet. ' ' 

There  was  absolutely  no  limit  to  Mrs.  Mills'  will 
power,  and  her  courage  equaled  her  will  power. 
Her  Christian  faith  was  the  source  of  her  courage, 
and  she  wanted  every  one  to  know  that  it  was  so. 
She  quoted  again  and  again: 

"Trust    in    the    Lord 

and  do  good,  so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the  land  and 
verily  thou  shalt  be  fed. ' '    Or, 

"All  things  work  together  for  good  to  those  that 
love  God." 

So  she  lived  and — now  she  has  left  us — it  remains 
for  us  to  pass  on  as  much  of  the  inspiration  she 
gave  us,  as  we  may. 


I 


May  24. 

N  dreaming  o  'er  the  old  days 

The  days  from  care  so  free, 
Come  thoughts  of  a  dearest  lady 
And — Teddy,  so  dainty  to  see. 


The  two  were  always  together, 

Mrs.  Mills — with  a  face  good  to  see, 
And  Teddy — dear  doggie — behind  her 
Always  barking  at  me. 

No  wonder  his  bark  was  ferocious, 

And  friends  he  would  not  be 
With    the   red-headed   lassie   who    chased   him; 

His  purpose — she  could  not  see, 

For  Teddy  had  memories  many, 

Of  the  times  he  had  to  flee 
For  protection,  unto  his  mistress 

From  what,  she  did  not  see. 

"Why  Teddy,  what's  the  matter!" 

I  have  often  heard  her  say; 
But  he  only  barked  in  answer, 

While  I — ran  the  other  way. 

Tho  my  memory-book  is  precious 

With  its  memories  of  girls, 
I  would  value  it  still  more  highly 

Had  it  one  of  Teddy's  curls. 

For  that  little  white  curl  would  in  fancy 

Other  memories  recall 
With  tenderest  thought  of  Mrs.  Mills, 

The  loving  friend  of  all. 


May  25. 

ANOTHER  picture  I  have  of  Mrs.  Mills  is  as  she 
went  the  rounds  of  the  rooms  with  Teddy, 
her  inseparable  companion.     Some  rooms  she 
passed    altogether,    some   she    entered,    smiling   and 
walking  slowly  about,  pointing  out  things  that  dis- 
pleased  and   things   that  pleased   her;    stopping  to 
pick  a  dead  leaf  off  a  plant  or  to  point  out  some 
especially  good  trait  in  a  photographed  face. 

One  day  she  came  upon  a  girl  sweeping  her  room, 
and  raising  big  clouds  of  dust.  Mrs.  Mills  promptly 
took  the  broom  into  her  own  hands,  gave  an  im- 
promptu lesson  on  sweeping  and  proceeded  to  il- 
lustrate it. 

That  was  one  reason  for  her  success.  She  under- 
stood thoroughly  the  fundamentals  of  every  de- 
partment over  which  she  had  charge,  from  the 
kitchen  to  the  garden  and  back  through  the  class- 
rooms. 

Her  interest  was  keen  for  everything.  Girls 
were  apparently  not  a  complex  problem  to  her. 
She  would  give  a  sharp  glance  through  her  spec- 
tacles at  a  delinquent  one,  decide  whether  firmness 
or  leniency  would  be  better,  smile  kindly  and  dis- 
miss or  proceed  to  read  a  lesson. 

Tears  she  abhorred.  She  was  like  a  man  when 
one  of  her  girls  wept;  she  sympathized  deeply,  but 
she  felt  out  of  place. 


May  26. 

(Prom  May  22) 

IF  even  in  a  measure  I  can  bring  him  truly  before 
you,  I  shall   feel   that   in  such   measure,  I  am 
doing  you  a  service,  giving  you  a  richer  heri- 
tage in  your  ideal  of  Mills  College.     For  Dr.  Mills 
was    one    of   these    reserved   natures   which    reveal 
themselves    only    to    those    of   whose    interest    and 
sympathy  they  feel  assured. 

A  man  of  few  words,  but  those  terse  and  strong; 
of  wide  knowledge  and  experience,  with  rare  ap- 
preciation of  all  that  is  fine  and  beautiful  in 
nature  and  in  art  .  .  .  but  above  all,  one  who 
responded  so  instantly  to  the  human  need  of  the 
moment — one  had  only  to  turn  to  him  to  be  sure 
of  the  immediate  response. 

The  hours  in  his  class-room  were  full  of  inter- 
est, and  it  was  a  dull  mind  indeed  that  did  not 
respond  to  the  leading  of  his  quickening  thought. 

.  .  .  He  had  little  patience  with  the  false  or 
trivial,  and  to  the  real  offender,  his  rebuke  was 
scathing.  For  work  well-done,  the  word  of  dis- 
criminating commendation  was  always  ready;  there 
was  infinite  patience  for  those  who  tried,  though 
they  might  halt  and  stumble  by  the  way,  but  stern 
reproof  and  admonition  for  the  wilful,  determined 
loiterer  or  wrong  doer.  Mercy  and  justice,  strength 
and  gentleness,  were  his  in  generous  measure  and 
wisely  blended. 


I 


May  27. 

WAS  85  last  May,  and  you  cannot  expect  much 
from  my  pen. 


Mr.  Mills  I  knew  personally,  and  in  his  ea^ly 
years,  as  he  was  often  at  my  father's,  and  lived 
there  after  he  graduated  from  Williams  College. 

We  always  had  family  prayers  both  morning  and 
night.  One  Sabbath  night,  Mr.  Mills  asked  for  "a 
Sabbath  evening  blessing,"  as  if  that  could  be  any 
different  from  any  other.  This  first  turned  my 
attention  to  the  subject  of  religion. 

Some  years  after,  when  my  sister  and  I  were 
15  years  old  (we  were  twins),  father,  who  was  a 
business  man,  said  to  us,  "What  am  I  to  do  about 
that  check  of  twenty  dollars  put  in  to  help  Mr.  Mills 
in  his  theological  course?"  This  question  was 
because  during  the  night,  not  the  home  but  the 
business  property  was  burned  to  the  ground.  We 
said,  "We  think  you  would  want  it."  But  Father 
answered : 

"I  gave  it  to  the  Lord  before  the  fire,  and  it  goes 
out  just  the  same.  It  is  not  mine."  The  money 
was  repaid  in  many  ways  and  many  times  by 
Mr.  Mills  later. 


May  28. 

ADEAE    little    brother    and    Mr.   Mills    were 
"very    particular    friends."      When    hardly 
three  years  old,  the  little  fellow  was  always 
making   "a   coat  for   Mr.   Mills.     Mr.   Mills  going 
to    be    missionary. ' '      So    needle    and    thread    were 
given  him,  and  he  made  many  "a  little  coat"  from 
a   bit  of  cotton   cloth,  always  putting  it  into   the 
basket  when  he  went  with  mother  to  the  mission- 
ary meetings. 

The  dear  little  boy  was  taken  very  ill.  He  told 
us  he  wanted  "to  go  and  be  with  Jesus,"  but  he 
wanted  his  "money  to  go  to  the  heathen."  So  his 
little  purse  was  brought,  containing  in  all  50  cents — 
large  coppers  and  three-cent  pieces.  It  was  handed 
to  Mr.  Mills  who  was  to  go  to  India  as  a  mis- 
sionary. 

He  often  told  the  story  there  of  the  dear  little 
Christian  child  who  wanted  to  help  the  heathen; 
always  holding  up  the  little  purse  with,  shall  I  say, 
the  sacred  money  still  in  it,  until  it  brought  many 
times  the  fifty  cents  and  great  interest  was  always 
awakened.  | 

Did  not  that  dear  little  brother,  through  Mr.  Mills, 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  heathen? 


Say  not  ye,  There  are  yet  four  months,  and  then  cometh 
harvest?  behold,  I  say  unto  you,  Lift  up  your  eyes,  and 
look  on  the  fields;  for  they  are  white  already  to  harvest. — 
John  4:35. 


May  29. 

THE    EEVEEEND    WILLIAM    A.    HALLOCK, 
who   was   Secretary   of   the   American   Tract 
Society,  had  Miss  Susan  Tolman  to  look  over 
the  books  and  report  any  mistakes. 

He  was  my  uncle,  and  I  vividly  recall  hearing 
him  say  with  reference  to  her  and  her  work,  "Keen 
as  a  razor." 

She  afterwards  became  a  teacher  at  Mount 
Holyoke.  We  twins  graduated  there  in  1850. 

She  became  Mrs.  Mills  and  went  to  India,  and 
the  Faculty  at  Mt.  Holyoke  said:  "I  wish  they 
would  take  the  girls  and  not  the  teachers." 

I  know  Mrs.  Mills  to  have  been  an  earnest,  en- 
thusiastic, vigorous  teacher,  holding  out  to  a  ripe 
old  age  far  beyond  the  general  run  of  people. 

My  nieces,  Mary  House  (Brown)  and  Fanny 
Bouse  (Carpenter),  received  their  education  under 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  in  California.  It  was  a  great 
honor  that  my  niece  Fanny  could  give  a  commence- 
ment address  there,  I  think  the  only  lady  who  has 
ever  done  so. 


Let  us  not   be  weary  in  well-doing:    for  in   due   season 
we  shall  reap,  if  we  faint  not. — Gal.   6:9. 

I   can  do  all  things  through   Christ  which  strengthened 
me. — Phil.   4:13. 

Be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of  his  might. — 
Eph.  6:10. 


May  30. 

WHEN  in  Benicia  in  1870,  four  of  us  formed 
the  first  sorority — of  course,  we  did  not  call 
it   so,   or  have  a  Greek  letter  name.     We 
were  simply  "We  Four,  1870."     It  was  Dr.  Mills 
who  talked  it  over  with  us,  who  helped  design  our 
pin,  and  even  enjoyed  going  to  the  jeweler's  with 
us  to  place  the  order.     A  great  event  that  was  in 
itself  .   .   .   perhaps  the  other  girls  did  not  envy  us! 

How  sure,  too,  we  always  were  that  Dr.  Mills 
would  not  only  laugh  with  us  over  anything  really 
funny,  but  would  also  match  our  story  with  another 
full  of  gay  wit  and  sparkling  humor,  so  that  we 
could  hardly  wait  for  Mrs.  Mills'  amused  permission 
to  run  around  to  their  rooms  to  share  our  pleasure 
with  him. 

A  group  of  us  ...  fired  with  an  unusual  zeal  to 
read  something  very  improving,  asked  Mr.  Mills' 
counsel.  The  twinkle  in  his  eye  should  have  fore- 
armed us,  when  he  said:  "Have  you  ever  read 
Cudworthl"  "Why  no,  who  was  Cudworth?  What 
did  he  write?" 

We  could  elicit  no  definite  information.  Dr.  Mills 
simply  advised  us  to  borrow  Dr.  Corwin's  copy, 
and  find  out  for  ourselves. 

Dr.  Corwin,  our  resident  pastor,  was  famous  for 
his  jokes,  but  we  unsuspectingly  went  our  way, 
took  one  look  at  the  ponderous  volume  with  its 
uninteresting  binding  which  Dr.  Corwin  handed  us 
so  smilingly  and  humbly  concluded  such  learning 
was  not  for  us. 

Fully  appreciating  its  worth,  however,  we  pur- 
chased that  literary  gem  for  the  private  library 
of  Dr.  Mills. 

"Have  you  read  Cudworth  yet?"  was  a  query 
that  always  brought  forth  smiles. 


May  31. 

THE    mother   of   the    dear   son    whose   birthday 
was  on  this  day,  but  who  was  parted  from 
her  at   the  very   threshold  of  his   manhood, 
writes  as  follows: 

Mrs.  Mills  was  so  fond  of  Ned;  spoke  of  him 
every  time  I  saw  her.  The  last  time,  how  her  eyes 
filled  with  tears  as  she  spoke  of  him,  saying  it 
would  not  be  long  before  she  would  see  him. 

All  my  tastes  and  general  ideas  of  life  and  duty 
were  so  influenced  during  my  sixteen  years  of  asso- 
ciation with  her  as  pupil  and  as  teacher,  as  well  as 
by  her  friendship  for  myself  and  family  for  the 
more  than  thirty  years  following,  that  I  cannot 
say  any  one  thing  or  another  stands  out  as  dis- 
tinctive, but  no  words  can  express  my  appreciation 
of  the  blessing  of  her  all-pervading  love  and  watch- 
ful care. 

The  121st  Psalm,  the  "Travelers'  Psalm"  she 
called  it,  is  always  associated  with  morning  prayers 
in  Benicia,  when  we  were  assembled  for  the  last 
time  before  leaving  for  vacation  and  home. 

The  Psalms  were  her  favorite  portion  of  the  Bible, 
and  the  ninety-first  her  favorite  Psalm. 

Did  any  one  ever  read  the  Bible  as  she  read  it? 
As  for  me,  I  never  hear  the  Scripture  read  that  I 
do  not  find  myself  wishing  it  could  be  read  as  she 
read  it. 

"Freely  ye  have  received;  freely  give."  To  her 
who  relied  upon  the  Almighty,  withholding 'would 
not  enrich,  nor  giving,  impoverish.  Her  first  im- 
pulse was  to  give,  to  help,  to  share  to  the  utter- 
most— "not  grudgingly  nor  of  necessity,  for  the 
Lord  loveth  a  cheerful  giver."  (See  also  Oct.  20.) 


(Mrs.  Mills  greatly  treasured  the  beautiful  lesson 
taught  in  these  verses.  Long  years  ago  she  pasted 
the  poem  in  her  Bible  and  often  referred  to  it  in 
her  Sunday  evening  talks.  The  lines  are  continued 
to  the  page  of  June  1,  and  concluded  on  the  page 
of  June  2.) 


THE  VOICE  IN  THE  TWILIGHT. 


I 


WAS  sitting  alone  towards  the  twilight, 

With  spirit  troubled  and  vexed, 
With  thoughts  that  were  morbid  and  gloomy, 

And  faith  that  was  sadly  perplexed. 


Some  homely  work  I  was  doing 

For  the  child  of  my  love  and  care, 

Some  stitches  half-wearily  setting 
In  the  endless  need  of  repair. 

But  my  thoughts  were  about  the  "building," 

The  work  some  day  to  be  tried; 
And  that  only  the  gold  and  the  silver, 

And  the  precious  stones  should  abide. 

And  remembering  my  own  poor  efforts 

The  wretched  work  I  had  done, 
And  even   when  trying  most  truly, 

The  meager  success  I  had  won, 

"It  is  nothing  but  'wood,  hay,  and  stubble'" 
I  said;  "It  will  all  be  burned" — 

This  useless  fruit  of  the  talents 
One  day  to  be  returned. 

"And  I  have  so  longed  to  serve  Him. 

And  sometimes  I  know  I  have  tried, 
But  I'm  sure  when  He  sees  such  a  building 

He  will  never  let  it  abide." 


J 


June  1. 

UST  then,  as  I  turned  the  garment, 
That  no  rent  should  be  left  behind, 
My  eye  caught  an  odd  little  bungle       ^ 
Of  mending  and  patch-work  combined. 


My  heart  grew  suddenly  tender, 
And  something  blinded  my  eyes, 

With  one  of  those  sweet  intuitions 
That  sometimes  makes  us  so  wise. 

Dear  child!     She  wanted  to  help  me; 

I  knew  'twas  the  best  she  could  do, 
But  oh!  what  a  botch  she  had  made  it, 

The  gray  mismatching  the  blue! 

And  yet,  can  you  understand  it? 

With  a  tender  smile  and  tear, 
And  a  half-compassionate  yearning, 

I  felt  her  grow  more  dear. 

Then  a  sweet  voice  broke  the  silence, 

And  the  dear  Lord  said  to  me, 
"Art  thou  tenderer  for  the  little  child 

Than  I  am  tender  for  thee  ? ' ' 

Then  straightway  I  knew  His  meaning 

So  full  of  compassion  and  love, 
And  my  faith  came  back  to  its  refuge, 

Like  a  glad,  returning  dove. 

(The  stanzas  on  this  page  were  the  ones  especially 
dear  and  most  often  quoted  or  read.) 


June  2. 

SO  I  thought,  when  the  Master  Builder 
Comes  down  this  temple  to  view, 
To  see  what  rents  must  be  mended 
And  what  must  be  builded  anew, 

Perhaps,  as  He  looks  o'er  the  building, 
He  will  bring  my  work  to  light, 

And,  seeing  the  marring  and  bungling, 
And  how  far  it  all  is  from  right, 

He  will  feel  as  I  felt  for  my  darling 

And  will  say,  as  I  said  for  her, 
"Dear  child!     She  wanted  to  help  me 
And  love  for  me  was  the  spur. 

And,  for  the  real  love  that  is  in  it, 
The  work  shall  seem  perfect  as  mine, 

And  because  it  was  willing  service 
I  will  crown  it  with  plaudit  divine. ' ' 

And  there  in  the  deepening  twilight 
I  seemed  to  be  clasping  a  hand, 

And  to  feel  a  great  love  constrain  me 
Stronger  than  any  command. 

Then  I  knew  by  the  thrill  of  sweetness 
'Twas  the  hand  of  the  Blessed  One, 

Which  would  tenderly  guide  and  hold  me 
Till  all  the  Labor  is  done. 

So  my  thoughts  are  never  more  gloomy, 

My  faith  no  longer  dim, 
But  my  heart  is  strong  and  restful 

And  my  eyes  are  unto  Him. 

— SELECTED. 


I 


June  3. 

(For  a  birthday  of  June  5) 

USED  to  remain  at  the  school  during  vacation, 
and  to  Mr.  Mills  I  owe  much  for  his  Wise 
lessons. 


He  loved  to  play  croquet,  and  I  think  what  I 
am  to  relate  will  give  you  insight  into  his  char- 
acter. 

It  was  summer  vacation.  I  had  gone  to  the 
music  room  in  the  left  wing,  to  practice.  He  came 
in  finally,  and  said,  "Child,  do  you  know  how  long 
you  have  been  here?"  "Only  a  short  time,  I 
think. "  "  You  have  been  here  four  hours.  You  'd 
better  come  and  play  a  game  of  croquet. ' ' 

The  sun  set  before  we  had  finished  a  second  game. 
He  called  my  attention  to  the  wonderful  coloring 
of  the  sky  and  pointed  out  the  shadows  on  the 
earth.  Then  he  said: 

"Mrs.  Mills  and  I  have  witnessed  many  glorious 
sunsets  at  sea  and  in  the  Orient,  but  I  can  remem- 
ber none  more  beautiful  than  this  evening's  sun- 
set. 

"May  the  close  of  our  life,  which  is  but  a  day, 
be  as  full  of  radiance  and  peace." 

So  many  lessons  I  learned  from  that  evening; 
I  often  think  of  him  when  watching  a  sunset. 


June  4. 

Mills  College,  June,  . 

My  dear  little  Granddaughter. 

I  am  very  glad  to  hear  that  you  have  arrived  in 
San  Francisco  well  and  happy.  I  hope  you  will  be 
a  very  good  little  girl,  and  give  as  little  trouble 
to  your  Papa  and  Mamma  as  possible. 

They  have  expected  you  so  long  you  must  not 
disappoint  them.  I  shall  hope  to  call  and  see  you 
very  soon. 

Please  give  my  love  and  Aunt  C 's  to  your 

dear  Mamma. 

I  am  your  affectionate  Grandmother, 

SUSAN  L.  MILLS. 

God  bless  you  and  make  you  a  great  blessing. 


To  the  Mother  when  the  little  one  to  whom  the 
above  letter  was  written  was  to  be  baptized. 

Mills  College,  Nov.  3, . 

My  dear  A. 

I  shall  be  with  you  in  heart  today — am  so  sorry 
to  be  absent  in  body.  May  it  be  a  blessed  day  to 
you  and  yours. 

*»**»** 

The  dear  Lord  be  with  you  and  bless  you,  and 
accept  the  consecration  of  the  dear  little  one  to 
the  Master. 

May  the  dear  child  live  to  be  your  joy  and  your 
comfort,  and  be  a  blessing  in  the  world. 

May  you  have  grace  to  train  her  as  the  dear 
Lord  would  have  you. 

With  tender  love,  I  am, 

Yrs  affly 

SUSAN  L.  MILLS. 


The  originals  of  these  letters  are  held  as  priceless 
treasures,  and  are  copied  here  only  because  this 
aims  to  be  a  heart-to-heart  home-book  containing 
as  many  of  the  little  human  touches  that  appeal 
lovingly  to  her  girls,  as  are  possible  to  get.  You 
will  recognize  "Yrs  affly"  as  the  characteristic 
form  used  in  her  letters  by  Mrs.  Mills,  to  precede 
her  signature. 


June  5. 

ffXTOTHING  is  too  small  to  pray  for."     "We 
1^     want  our  girls  above  all,  to  be  good  Chris- 
tian women." 

Can  you  not  hear  her  repeat  these  words! 

Father,  whate'er  of  earthly  bliss 

Thy  sovereign  will  denies. 
Accepted  at  Thy  throne  of  grace, 

Let  this  petition  rise: 

Give  me  a  calm,  a  thankful  heart 

From  every  murmur  free; 
The  blessings  of  Thy  grace  impart, 

And  bid  me  live  to  Thee. 

She  frequently  spoke  of  the  hymn  from  which 
these  stanzas  are  quoted,  as  being  her  father's 
favorite  hymn,  and  she  loved  it  for  his  sake  as 
well  as  for  the  peace  it  brought  to  her  own  heart. 

One  Sunday  evening  we  were  as  disobedient  as 
ever  we  could  be,  and  with  an  unholy  glee  that 
was  by  no  means  silent.  Three  girls  from  other 
rooms  had  come  to  ours;  four  stood  in  a  row  to 
receive  from  the  fifth  the  contents  of  a  cologne 
bottle  squirted  through  an  atomizer — a  much  newer 
thing  in  the  seventies  than  now,  hence  the  uproar. 
Suddenly  the  door  opened,  Mrs.  Mills  entered,  and 
all  she  said  was,  "Jennie,  I  want  you  to  come  down 
to  the  parlor  after  the  last  bell  to  join  in  prayer 
for  the  Senior  class,"  and  she  was  gone.  Nothing 
she  could  have  said  or  done  could  have  been  more 
effectual  in  making  me  realize  how  unworthy  of 
her  confidence  I  had  proved.  The  incident  was 
never  referred  to  again  by  Mrs.  Mills,  but  the 
thought  of  having  been  "weighed"  and  "found 
wanting"  kept  me  from  doing  many  foolish  things, 
and  in  later  years  I  have  appreciated  the  wisdom 
of  her  passing  the  incident  with  no  other  notice 
than  the  "silence  which  was  golden." 


June  6. 

Except    the    Lord    build    the    house,    they    Isbor    in   Tain 
that  build  it. — Psalm  127:1. 


DR.  AND  MRS.  MILLS  built  this  school  under 
the    inspiration    of   a    great    idea,    of   which 
idea,   you   and   I   as  Alumnae,   are  the   con- 
crete outcome. 

And  just  because  we  are  a  part  of  this  idea,  can 
we  not  from  the  memories  of  the  past,  from  the 
needs  of  the  present,  from  the  visions  for  the 
future,  rouse  ourselves  as  Alumnae  and  make  this 
idea — that  of  the  wholesome  suitable  Christian 
education  of  young  women — perfect  in  the  fuller 
development  that  it  needs? 

It  means  work;  it  means  work  for  you  and  for 
me;  but  it  means,  and  that  is  the  joy  of  it — it 
means  different  kinds  of  work;  it  means  just  the 
sort  of  work  that  God  put  into  our  hearts  to  do. 
The  great  thing  is,  for  us  to  be  whole-hearted  in 
our  manner  of  doing  it. 

We.  always  hear  the  cry,  "We  want  Christian 
mothers  in  our  homes,  Christian  teachers  in  our 
schools."  But  I  tell  you  there  is  a  great  need 
today  for  Christian  business  women  for  civic  and 
philanthropic  work,  for  municipal  improvement  and 
for  social  betterment;  we  want  Christian  women 
right  down  in  the  thick  of  business  life,  to  grapple 
hand  to  hand  with  the  tremendous  problems  of 
Capital  and  Labor. 

The  one  thing  which  will  change  an  organization 
from  a  mere  dry  framework  into  a  living  breath- 
ing organism  is  Christianity,  and  the  business  world 
is  not  only  waiting  but  asking  for  women — trained, 
educated,  Christian — to  help  in  solving  the  difficult 
questions  which  will  come  up  between  employer  and 
employee. 

Mills  College  will  be  just  what  you  make  it,  and 
if  you  are  true  to  the  inspiration  of  the  great 
idea  of  its  noble  founders,  you  will  awaken  to  a 
keener  sense  of  their  heroism  in  the  past,  and  your 
obligations  in  the  present. 


June  7. 

THE  founders   of  Mills,   in   all   their  ambitions 
and    desires,    always    kept   paramount,   that 
Mills  while  non-sectarian,  must  be  essentially 
a  Christian  College  and  a  home. 

Home-making,  Home-keeping,  Home-loving,  are 
three  principles  of  education  that  have  been  so 
interwoven  in  the  woof  and  web  of  past  days  they 
cannot  be  put  aside  in  the  curriculum  of  the  future. 

As  in  the  history  of  Holyoke,  Mary  Lyon's  per- 
sonality cannot  be  eradicated,  so  also,  no  possibility 
can  there  be  that  the  influence  of  Mrs.  Mills  will 
be  lost  in  the  future  history  of  Mills  College. 

Perhaps,  in  the  future  college  life,  many  of  the 
old  customs  will  be  passed  by  for  lack  of  time, 
until  some  of  them  will  seem  but  traditions  of  the 
past.  The  college  customs  will  change  with  the 
customs  of  the  world  at  large,  and  the  Seminary 
will  seem  old-fashioned  to  the  ambitious  young 
collegian,  but  there  is  an  indefinable  something  that 
can  go  only  with  the  school  of  smaller  affairs — and 
the  mother-love  of  Mrs.  Mills  will  go  on  and  on 
beyond  our  time  and  ken. 

You  will  smile  when  I  say,  looking  back  to  the 
old  regime,  one  of  the  most  precious  memories  is 
that  of  Wo's  birthday  cake. 

That  birthday  cake,  my  dear  young  collegian, 
meant  more  to  the  home-sick  Seminary  girl  than 
the  grandest  medal  you  will  ever  win  for  scholar- 
ship. 


June  8. 

DR.  AND  MRS.  MILLS  gave  out  of  pure  kind- 
ness of  heart  and  to  make  others  happier. 
At  the  new  Seminary  when  skating  was 
the  rage,  I  had  no  skates  and  did  not  feel  that  I 
should  ask  my  father  to  get  some  for  me.  One  morn- 
ing Mr.  Mills  sent  for  me  to  go  to  his  parlor.     I 
went  in  fear  and  trembling  lest  I  had  inadvertently 
done  something  amiss  and  I  was  to  be  reprimanded. 

But  no;  instead,  he  asked  me  if  I  would  not  like 
a  pair  of  skates  that  I  might  enjoy  the  exercise 
with  the  rest  of  the  girls?  then  gave  me  a  pair. 

They  were  always  doing  kind  little  things  like 
that. 

Surely  no  one  person  can  realize  how  much  they 
gave  in  these  as  well  as  in  large  ways  for  others. 


How  few  things  that  are  really  desirable  can  be 
bought  with  money! 

Wisdom,  spiritual  power,  poetic  feeling,  sound 
judgment,  communion  with  God — are  as  possible  to 
the  poorest  man  as  to  the  richest. 

They  can  be  received  as  far  as  we  open  our  minds 
and  hearts,  but  never  bought.  The  best  things  of 
God  are  free  to  all  men.  See  Rev.  22:17." 

MBS.  MILLS. 


Words  can  hardly  express  sentiments  of  Mrs. 
Mills.  It  seems  to  me  one  just  had  to  be  one  of 
her  girls  to  learn  what  a  kind,  thoughtful  mother 
she  was  to  all  of  us. 

There  is  so  much  I  would  love  to  say,  and  while 
this  I  have  written  seems  very  little,  you  may  know 
from  it,  of  some  of  my  great  love  and  reverence  for 
Mrs.  Mills. 


You  have  asked  me  to  write  a  book!  How  can 
one  in  a  few  lines  express  appreciation  of  Mre. 
Mills'  many-sided  personality? 


June  9. 

MARY  MELVILLE  TOLMAN, 

Daughter  of  Samuel  Howe  Tolman  and  Jane  Melville. 
The  grandfather,  Samuel  Howe  Tolman,  Sr.,  graduated 
from  Dartmouth  College,  1806.  His  son,  Samuel  Howe 
Tolman,  Jr.,  was  graduated  from  Dartmouth  in  1848. 

Miss  Mary  Melville  Tolman  came  from  the  East  in  the 
eighties,  and  at  Mrs.  Mills'  urgent  invitation  remained  a 
year. 

IT  is  to  Miss  Mary  Tolman  that  Mrs.  Mills  directed 
all   her   genealogical   and   other   family  papers, 
sent.     Miss  Tolman  resides  in  Manchester,  New 
Hampshire,  and  has  written  as  follows: 

In  one  of  the  last  letters  which  I  received  from 
"Auntie"  Mills  and  which  was  dated  May  23, 
1911,  she  said: 

"Our  last  Seminary  class  has  just  graduated,  and 
now  we  are  all  College. 

"It  has  broken  my  heart  to  have  the  Seminary 
go,  but  I  know  it  is  for  the  betterment  of  the 
College." 

Have  a  plan  for  studying  the  Scriptures. 

The  wear  and  tear  of  what  I  cannot  do  is  a  great 
deal  more  than  the  wear  and  tear  of  what  I  can  do. 

Prayer  for  spiritual  blessings  for  ourselves  and 
others,  is  the  essence  of  prayer. 

The  Sabbath  is  of  inestimable  value.  It  is 
worth  more  than  all  other  days  in  bringing  our 
thoughts  into  captivity  to  the  will  of  Christ. 

One  great  thing  to  be  gained  in  an  education  is 
to  be  able  to  possess  comforts  and  privileges  with- 
out becoming  selfish. 

The  little  child  makes  the  father  a  better  man, 
and  the  excellencies  of  a  woman  are  nowhere  so 
marked,  and  they  nowhere  shine  so  beautifully  as 
in  the  wife  and  mother. 


Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest. 

Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  me:  for  I  am  meek 
and  lowly  in  heart:  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls. 

For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light. — Matthew 
11:28,29,  30. 


June  10. 

A  MEMORY  OP  MBS.  MILLS. 

She  said,  in  days  that  used  to  be, 
"We  planted  every  flower  and  tree 
Except  those  oaks — the  place  was  bare 
Until  we  made  a  garden  there." 

Because  they  watered  the  dry  earth, 

A  thousand  roses  came  to  birth; 

Their  trees  each  springtime  have  as  guests 

A  fledgling  choir  of  birds  in  nests. 

Where  wild  grass  withered,  brown  and  dry, 
Long  eucalyptus  shadows  lie, 
A  deeper  green  upon  the  lawn. 
Can  those  who  planted  it  be  gone! 

She  loved  it  all.    How  many  times 

Before  the  noon  hours'  closing  chimes, 

We  saw  her  in  her  plain  black  gown, 

One  hand  upon  her  hip,  stoop  down 

To  pick  up  bits  of  orange  peels 

We  dropped  and  ground  beneath  our  heels! 

And  now,  I  think,  she  comes  to  see 
If  things  are  as  they  ought  to  be; 
Down  welltrod  garden  walks  she  goes 
To  trim  dead  blossoms  from  some  rose. 

And  we,  whose  hearts  her  gardens  were, 
No  truer  way  can  honor  her 
Than  in  our  own  lives  to  keep  bright 
The  truth  she  spoke  to  be  our  light, 
That  she  might  know  how  worth  the  care 
It  was,  to  make  a  garden  there. 

MABEL  BICE  BIGLER. 
January,  1915. 


June  11. 


SAMUEL   TOLMAN. 

Born  1676;   died  17 — . 

Father  of  Mrs.  Mills'   great  grandfather. 


T 


HEEE  is  so  much  I  can  find  in  my  heart  of 
tenderness  and  love  for  her. 


The    ten    years    passed    there    as    an    Art 
Teacher  were  happy  ones.    .   .    . 

She  was  a  bright  example  for  any  one  closely 
associated  with  her,  her  open  hand-  to  give,  her 
sympathy  with  all  suffering. 

I  know  she  was  sincerely  sorry  when  she,  by  a 
rebuke,  wounded  one's  feelings.  She  was  always 
ready  with  an  apology. 

As  an  instance  of  tenderness  that  impressed  me: 

I  was  going  to  the  city  of  a  Saturday  once,  and 
she  said,  "Come  to  my  door  and  ride  to  the  station 
with  me. ' '  I  did  so.  When  she  got  into  the  car- 
riage, I  noticed  she  was  dressed  for  some  especial 
occasion.  Ida  then  handed  her  a  bouquet  of 
flowers  rather  loosely  put  together.  I  thought, 
"What  is  she  going  to  do  with  those  flowers?"  I 
noticed  that  she  guarded  them  carefully,  after  we 
were  in  the  cars  and  when  we  reached  the  place 
where  the  cars  changed.  You  remember  the  little 
store  kept  by  the  woman  who  was  nearly  blind! 
Well,  she  grabbed  the  bunch  of  flowers  and  hurried 
out  and  I  followed  her,  going  into  this  little  shop. 
She  gave  them  to  the  woman  and  raising  up  her 
dress,  took  from  a  long  large  pocket  three  large 
oranges  and  said,  as  she  gave  them  to  her,  "For 
the  children." 


June  12. 

THE   incident  impressed  me.     As  we  came  out 
I  said,  "Oh,  Mrs.   Mills,  how  kind  of  youl 
Going  to  a  reception  in  your  party  dress,  and 
having  such  a  burden  as  those  oranges!     You  axe 
a  lesson." 

"Oh!  That  is  nothing!  only  one  little  kind 
thought  for  the  poor."  It  was  a  lesson  to  me  of 
thoughtfulness,  and  I  have  never  forgotten  it. 
And  this  is  only  one  of  many  acts  of  this  descrip- 
tion, which  she  was  so  often  doing — always  trying 
to  help  others. 

I  can  never  forget  her  many  kind  thoughts  for 
me,  when  she  saw  I  was  tired  and  when  she  knew 
I  was  in  sorrow — and  for  these,  too,  I  loved  her 
most  tenderly. 

She  seemed  abrupt  sometimes,  but  amid  all  her 
cares  she  did  not  forget;  it  was  the  "cup  of  cold 
water"!  God  bless  her — her  "faith  in  prayer," 
her  loyalty  for  the  "Lord,"  her  earnestness.  So 
few  could  have  done  what  she  did  for  Christ  when 
the  world  outside  criticised  as  they  did.  I  honored 
Mrs.  Mills  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  I  loved 
her  for  herself  alone. 


June  13. 

THE   Mills  Magazine  Memorial  issue  is  an  ex- 
cellent   collection    of    tributes,    bringing    out 
plainly  the  spirit  of  Mrs.  Mills'  life  and  work 
as  well  as  the  attitude  of  the  girls  towardvher. 

My  only  regret  about  it  all  is  that  there  seems 
to  be  no  direct  appeal  to  Mills'  Daughters  in  be- 
half of  her  work  and  their  College — or  Alma  Mater. 

It  seems  to  me  that  such  an  occasion  might  have 
been  used  with  emphasis  both  as  a  matter  of  loy- 
alty to  Mrs.  Mills  and  as  a  time  for  drawing  into 
closer  touch  with  the  College,  its  many  graduates, 
and  friends.  .  .  .  My  thought  is  that  many  young 
women  might  cling  more  faithfully  to  their  College 
and  co-operate  in  its  upbuilding,  if  an  appeal  had 
been  made  linking  the  more  personal  relationship 
of  the  past  with  a  larger  realization  of  College 
aims  and  standards  of  the  present  and  future. 

Now,  of  course,  this  may  sound  like  the  argu- 
ment of  an  opportunist,  but  I  believe  that  the  ' '  psy- 
cological  moment"  is  an  important  study  and  it  is 
a  great  thing  to  seize  the  privilege  of  a  rare 
moment  for  the  benefit  of  a  high  purpose." 


June  14. 

(From  June  13) 

NE  can  wait  long  and  patiently  for  such  a 
' '  moment. ' '  Fortunate  are  we  if  we  use  it 
for  God's  high  work  in  the  world. 

My  thought  in  this  connection  is  not  of  money, 
but  of  moral  support  in  other  ways. 

With  women  more  than  with  men,  the  personal 
feeling  governs  so  persistently  their  attitude  and 
activities." 


o 


The  issue  of  the  Magazine  was  wholly  under  the 
management  of  the  students  who  had  not  the  knowl- 
edge of  life  and  the  outside  relations  to  have  under- 
stood the  advantage  of  improving  the  "psycholog- 
ical moment."  Even  the  Alumnae  Department  was 
omitted;  Alumnae  notes  were  gathered  from  letters 
received  at  the  College  and  a  copy  of  Alumnae 
Resolutions  printed. 

The  letter,  however,  though  personal,  breathes  a 
high  idea,  and  is  given  here  in  part,  for  the  benefit 
of  our  Alumnae  Sisterhood,  for  other  "psycholog- 
ical moments"  will  arrive,  to  be  seized  upon  by 
those  who  have  foresight,  interest,  wit,  bigness  of 
heart,  and  sufficient  love  of  our  Alma  Mater;  and 
these  "few  words  to  the  wise"  may  be  a  sufficient 
incentive. 


June  15. 

"When  a  good  man  dies,  for  years  beyond  our  ken  the 
light  he  leaves  behind  shines  upon  the  paths  of  men." 


THE  first  time  I  saw  Mrs.  Mills  was  in  the 
summer  of  1908  when  I  made  the  sudden  de- 
cision to  go  out  to  Mills  College  to  arrange 
to  enter  as  a  Domestic  Science  student  in  the  fall 
semester.  I  felt  somewhat  nervous  at  the  pros- 
pect of  the  interview,  because  I  had  been  away 
from  school  work  for  some  time.  I  felt  particularly 
embarrassed,  having  neglected  through  lack  of  fore- 
sight, to  get  my  credentials  for  a  Domestic  Science 
Course  I  had  previously  taken;  credentials  I  felt 
I  should  show  Mrs.  Mills.  After  a  brief  but  keen 
glance  at  me,  Mrs.  Mills  cut  my  apology  short  by 
/aying  her  hand  on  my  arm  and  saying,  "My  dear, 
your  word  is  enough!  We  shall  be  very  glad  to 
have  you  with  us." 

Mrs.  Mills  was  always  anxious  that  Sunday  be  a 
"home"  day  for  her  girls,  not  an  "at  home"  day, 
but  her  wishes  were  being  ignored  to  such  an 
extent  that  desperate  measures  had  to  be  taken. 
Accordingly,  on  the  Sunday  morning  following  this 
decision,  Mrs.  Mills  stationed  Barney — a  right-hand 
man  of  the  place — at  the  entrance  to  the  grounds 
from  the  car  line,  with  instructions  to  admit  no 
gentlemen  but  the  young  man  who  was  to  preach 
the  Sunday  sermon.  The  next  car  brought  a  young 
man  on  calling  bent;  but  Barney  said,  "No,  no  one 
can  enter  today  but  the  minister."  The  young 
man,  who  evidently  figured  that  all  was  fair  in 
love  or  war,  said,  ' '  But  I  am  the  minister, ' '  so 
passed  in.  Ere  long,  another  young  man  confidently 
entered  the  gateway,  but  Barney  triumphantly  an- 
nounced, "Only  the  minister  can  enter  today!" 
The  young  man  suavely  replied,  "But  I  am  the 
minister."  "Oh,  no  you're  not!"  gloated  Barney, 
"he  just  went  in."  Then  the  young  man  feelingly 
said,  "My  man,  you  have  been  deceived  for  I  am 
the  minister."  So  apologizing  for  his  blunder, 
Barney  passed  him  through. 


June  16. 

JUST  as  the  church  bell  was  ringing,  the  real  min- 
ister alighted  in  great  haste  from  the  car,  and 
was  hurrying  thru  the  station  when  Barney 
accosted  him  with  the  words,  "O  no  you  dont! 
You're  not  the  minister,  so  you  can't  go  in." 
"But,"  said  the  astonished  man.  "I  not  only  am 
the  minister,  but  I  am  late  and  beg  you  not  to 
delay  me."  Whereupon  Barney,  zealous  of  his 
dut'es  and  wearied  of  the  perfidy  of  young  man- 
kind, placed  himself  bodily  in  the  path  and,  it  is 
said,  only  agility  and  previous  athletic  training 
enabled  the  minister  to  gain  the  pulpit  in  time. 

A  few  hours  later,  a  crest-fallen  Barney  pre- 
sented himself  to  Mrs.  Mills  with  the  earnest  re- 
quest that  he  be  not  put  on  that  "Sunday  job" 
again.  It  is  also  said  that  Mrs.  Mills'  eyes  twinkled 
when  she  granted  that  earnest  request. 

My  sister  came  out  to  Mills  College  to  visit  one 
day,  and  Mrs.  Mills  very  kindly  showed  her  about 
Mills  Hall.  My  sister  has  never  forgotten  how 
earnestly  Mrs.  Mills  said  when  they  reached  the 
dining-room,  "This  is  the  most  important  room  of 
all,  for  I  consider  proper  food  the  basis  of  good 
morals. ' ' 

Mrs.  Mills  lovingly  and  loyally  attributed  her 
success  in  the  education  of  girls  to  the  influence 
of  her  own  early  training  under  Mary  Lyon  at 
Mt.  Holyoke.  That  training  combined  with  her 
own  natural  gifts  of  a  rare  personality  indeed, 
made  Mrs.  Mills  a  remarkable  woman.  Dedicating 
her  long  life,  as  she  did,  to  service  for  girls,  her  in- 
fluence has  been,  and  will  be,  almost  unbelievably, 
far-reaching.  She  seemed  to  have  an  unusual 
faculty  for  divining  a  person's  needs — not  alone  in 
seeing  that  a  chance  was  given  for  the  cultivation 
of  mental  or  spiritual  qualities,  but  also  in  com- 
prehending the  material  wants  of  struggling  insti- 
tutions or  individuals  not  intimately  connected 
with  her  "family."  What  a  wonderful  thing!  to 
have  earned  the  right  to  be  called,  A  Woman  Who 
Understood. 


June  17. 

AMONG  the  many  remembered  incidents  in  my 
association  with  Mrs.  Mills,  itxis  hard  to  pick 
out    separate    ones    as    particular    examples. 
One  of  the  expressions  Mrs.  Mills  often  repeated  in 
my  hearing  and  which  I  often  recall  is  this: 

"Be  gracious  to  every  one.  It  does  not  pay  to 
be  unkind,  rude,  or  even  inattentive  to  any  one 
with  whom  you  have  to  do.  A  smile  is  worth  many 
frowns.' ' 

The  incident  which  impressed  me  most,  shows 
Mrs.  Mills'  generous  spirit  and  came  about  through 
my  own  carelessness. 

It  was  while  I  had  part  charge  of  the  telephone 
room,  and  through  a  stupid  though  well-meant 
blunder  over  the  'phone,  brought  about  a  com- 
plication which  cost  Mrs.  Mills  quite  a  few  dollars 
to  straighten  out,  and  exasperated  her  no  doubt, 
as  it  would  any  one. 

I  waited  in  fear  and  trembling  for  the  expected 
severe  reprimand,  hardly  knowing  what  would  be  my 
well-deserved  penalty.  Then  I  went  to  Mrs.  Mills, 
tried  to  apologize,  and  before  I  knew  it,  the  dear 
woman,  who  no  doubt  saw  the  tears  I  was  strug- 
gling to  suppress,  was  patting  my  hand  and  saying: 
''My  dear,  we  all  make  mistakes,  and  I  am  sure 
you  wont  let  it  happen  again." 

Do  you  think  I  ever  did? 


June  18. 

THESE  quotations,  recalled,  represent  only  two 
or   three  phases  of  her  character — the  more 
purely   feminine   and    domestic.     "What    is 
written  is  written." 

"When  a  meal  is  ready,  leave  whatever  you  are 
doing  and  go  at  once  to  the  table. ' ' 

The  purpose  of  Mrs.  Mills'  years  of  effort  was 
to  fit  her  girls  for  educated  useful  womanhood, 
and  it  found  expression  over  and  over  and  yet  once 
more  as  she  read  Proverbs  3:13-19;  Proverbs  31: 
10-31. 

In  the  '80s,  Mills  was  reclused  from  the  distrac- 
tions of  the  city  and  jealously  guarded  from  its  en- 
croachments. Visitors  must  come  by  train  to  Sem- 
inary Park  Station,  and  drive  up  with  Michael  or 
George  True. 

It  was  an  unprecedented  privilege  granted  to  a 
new  girl  who  might  not  come  as  a  "day  scholar" 
and  whose  mother  was  a  semi-invalid,  that  Mrs. 
Mills  allowed  her  to  spend  the  week-ends  at  home. 

That  her  father  should  be  her  escort  always,  was 
the  express  condition.  During  the  three  years  in 
which  he  drove  in  and  out,  Friday  and  Monday,  at 
whatever  hour  and  whichever  gate,  it  was  rare 
indeed  not  to  see  Mrs.  Mills,  and  so,  that  father 
always  felt  that  his  daughter  could  be  safely  en- 
trusted to  her  faithful  care. 

A  man  of  affairs  had  this  to  say  of  Mrs.  Mills: 
"She  was  a  wonderful  woman.  Her  executive 
ability  and  business  acumen  were  marvelous.  I 
consider  that  she  was  one  of  the  best  financiers  that 
Alameda  County  ever  had." 

A  short  time  before  her  death,  Mrs.  Mills  dictated 
a  letter  to  one  of  her  girls  who  had  become  deaf. 
Her  own  dulled  hearing  and  failing  strength  pressed 
heavily,  and  she  wrote: 

"I  am  so  glad,  dear  , 

that  we  shall  have  no  infirmities  in  heaven." 


June  19. 

A   soft   answer  turneth   away  wrath^-but  grievous  words 
stir  up  anger. — Proverbs  15:1. 


IN  thinking  of  Mrs.  Mills,  I  often  picture  her  at 
what  we  used  to  call  her  "Five  o'clock  Teas." 
At  these  times,  she  made  known  to  us  her  de- 
sires and  wishes  as  to  our  personal  conduct  on  mat- 
ters of  etiquette  and  the  true  courtesies  of  life — 
altho'    sometimes   she    gave   us    a   bit    of   her   own 
history  or  experience,  or  the  news  concerning  some 
important  matter  of  which  we  should  be  informed. 

Some  objected  to  this  period  as  not  a  part  of  the 
College  curriculum,  but  I  am  sure  it  did  us  all  good. 
We  might  sew,  as  we  listened,  often  times,  to  some 
such  introduction  as,  "Young  ladies,  I  want  that 

you    should    always    remember ,"    or,    "Young 

ladies,  I  don't  want  that  you  should  do  thus  and 
so,  but  I  want  that  you  should,"  etc.,  etc. 

My  other  most  tender  thoughts  are,  as  I  knew  her 

that    summer    you    and    Miss  M went  to  the 

Yosemite  when  I  staid  at  Mills  to  "help  out,"  as 
she  always  said.  She  always  talked  to  me  when  I 
took  the  mail  to  her.  Not  about  anything  of  special 
importance,  but  just  any  little  matter  that  she  was 
thinking  about,  and  would  ask  me  what  I  thought 
of  it,  or,  if  I  would  see  "Mr.  Stratton"  or 
"Michael,"  or  "Uncle  Billy,"  or  some  one,  and 
tell  them  her  wishes  for  the  next  day. 

My  first  years  at  Mills  were  in  the  days  of  the  pet 
dogs,  Fritzie  and  Koko.  Wherever  Mrs.  Mills  went, 
they  went.  When  ever  we  saw  the  dogs,  whether  in 
halls  or  on  campus,  we  would  know  that  Mrs.  Mills 
was  near — and  shall  I  say  it,  we  would  sometimes 
take  another  path.  Did  a  guilty  conscience  fear 
those  wonderfully  searching  eyes? 

I  can  quote  many  Bible  passages  she  gave  us, 
besides  the  one  given  above,  and  I  learned  while 
there,  at  her  request,  Psalms  100,  95,  91,  23,  and  19. 


June  20. 

1  OFTEN  think  of  Mrs.  Mills'  life  in  India.     She 
sometimes   told   us   how   her  husband   took  her 
there  a  bride;   how  they  worked  together,  and 
were  so  happy  in  the  work;  how  the  tropical  climate 
impaired  the  health  of  each,  and  they  were  obliged 
to  leave  the  work  there,  hoping  for  many  years  to 
return  to  it,  for  they  had  been  so  happy  in  it.     I 
think  it  would  have  pleased  her  to  have  all  of  us 
go  as  missionaries  to  India. 

Her  missionary  work  did  not  end  with  the  return 
from  India.  She  was  most  generous,  ever  "sowing 
beside  all  waters,"  as  she  would  have  us  be.  She 
gave  to  every  form  of  charity  that  ever  came  her 
way,  and  I  doubt  not,  were  she  here  now,  that 
while  her  greatest  sorrow  would  be  over  the  war, 
her  greatest  joy  would  be  to  aid  the  Belgians  and 
all  the  stricken  in  Europe. 

Her  memory  was  wonderful!  She  was  able  to 
remember  people,  faces,  names,  and  associations 
almost  beyond  belief.  Aside  from  her  mental 
power,  think  of  her  physical  endurance!  How  she 
would  attend  morning  prayers,  conduct  her  class, 
go  to  San  Francisco,  shop,  go  to  the  dressmakers' 
perhaps,  or  to  a  meeting  of  some  kind,  see  different 
people  at  different  times  by  appointment,  return  to 
the  College,  have  dinner,  conduct  prayers,  then  dress 
to  attend  some  evening  reception,  and  be  as  bright 
and  entertaining  as  tho'  she  had  rested  all  day. 

Mrs.  Mills  had  such  a  wonderful  personality  that 
the  girls  all  respected  and  feared  her,  yet  they 
loved  her,  too.  She  was  most  decided  and  short, 
but  it  was  a  shortness  due  to  her  alertness  and 
quickness,  rather  than  to  any  gruffness  of  manner. 
Unfortunate  was  the  girl  who  did  not  seek  to  find 
her  heart  of  pure  gold,  for  seeking  she  would  surely 
have  found  it. 


June  21. 

Pear  thou  not;  for  I  am  with  thee:  be  not  dismayed; 
for  I  am  thy  God:  I  will  strengthen  thee:  yea,  I  will  help 
thee:  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my 
righteousness. — Isaiah,  41:10. 


SAID  a  great  artist,  to  one  who  expressed  sur- 
prise that  he  received  so  large  a  price  for  a 
landscape    he    had   painted   in    a    single   day: 
"Forty  years  of  my  life  and  all  that  is  in  me,  have 
gone  into  that  picture. " 

So  when  one  has  wrought  at  the  foundations,  we 
sometimes  take  less  account  of  the  patient  toil  of 
years,  the  hiding  of  power,  the  silent  accumulation 
of  forces — those  necessary  conditions  of  success — 
than  of  what  comes  at  once  into  the  range  of  ob- 
servation. 

The  point  of  view  needs  to  be  shifted  from  the 
foreground  to  the  background.  What  was  the 
motive,  what  sacrifices  were  involved,  what  high 
inspiration  were  the  forming  influences  touching  a 
thousand  details  and  moulding  them  into  forms  of 
beauty? 

The  founder  lives  in  his  work  if  he  has  wrought 
for  God  and  humanity. 


June  22. 

THERE  is  an  Oriental  tradition  that  a  grain  of 
ambergris   flavored    the    Sultan's    cap    for    a 
thousand  years.     But  there  is  a  fragrance  of 
immortality  about  the  name  of  one  who  has  dedi- 
cated his  work  to  the  Eternal  Builder  and  for  the 
grace  of  exalted  womanhood. 


Two  institutions  of  historic  fame,  form  the  back- 
ground, so  to  speak,  of  Mills  College.  The  one  is 
Williams  College  which  educated  the  founder  of 
this  institution,  and  the  other  is  Mt.  Holyoke  Sem- 
inary— now  a  College — which  educated  his  consort. 

The  one  came  under  the  influence  of  Mark 
Hopkins,  the  greatest  educator  of  his  day  and  now 
an  illustrious  name  in  history.  The  other  was 
graduated  under  the  prineipalship  of  Mary  Lyon, 
a  name  that  is  associated  with  all  that  is  noble 
and  winning  in  the  sainthood  of  a  woman. 

Few  institutions  have  ever  embodied  more  of  the 
spirit  of  self-sacrifice  than  the  one  among  the  Berk- 
shire hills,  and  the  other  on  the  margin  of  that  his- 
toric river  of  New  England. 

They  have  sown  beside  all  waters.  They  have 
sent  a  message  of  peace — a  gift  of  sweetness  and 
light — to  the  remotest  lands. 

The  spirit  of  these  institutions — the  fragrance  of 
sacrifice,  the  high  aim — has  gone  over  in  some  degree 
to  this  College  whose  foundation  we  celebrate. 

It  was  most  fitting,  therefore,  that  its  associate 
founder  should  establish  a  chair  of  philosophy  asso- 
ciated with  the  illustrious  name  of  Mark  Hopkins. 

That  is  the  first  chair  of  academic  instruction  and 
the  only  one,  ever  endowed  by  a  woman  on  the 
Pacific  Coast. 


June  23. 

CYRUS  TAGGAET  MILLS  in  founding  this  in- 
stitution had  a  definite  aim  and  a  high  ideal, 
and  there  was  no  departure  from  the  original 
purpose. 

No  one  has  ever  worked  towards  a  high  ideal 
without  encountering  criticism.  It  is  good  some- 
times to  have  the  electric  bells  rung  by  an  un- 
friendly hand. 

It  is  related  of  a  painter  that  he  was  greatly 
shaken  by  the  unfriendly  criticism  directed  against 
his  picture,  when  he  had  hoped  for  the  recognition 
of  a  masterpiece.  But  when  the  birds  came  and 
pecked  at  the  grapes  in  his  picture,  he  was  satisfied. 


The  founder  wrought  for  a  definite  end.  He  saw 
the  Seminary  gradually  unfolding  into  the  College. 
He  planned  for  enlarging  it  by  night,  and  worked 
for  it  by  day. 

His  words  were  few.  The  shy,  reticent  man  went 
about  his  task  with  a  silent  brooding  spirit.  In 
homely  parlance,  he  had  a  "long  head."  He  had 
rare  executive  talent. 


June  24. 

46  ¥    ¥  OW  is  my  soldier  boyf"  is  the  question  she 
I    always  asked  me  of  my  son,  whose  birth- 
day occurs  on  this  date.    She  showed  a  con- 
tinued interest  in  him  both  while  he  was  in  service 
in  the  Philippines  and  after  his  return. 

"I  know  he  will  come  home,"  she  would  say  to 
me  during  the  war,  which  she  greatly  deplored,  ' '  as 
I  always  pray  for  him. ' ' 

Shortly  after  his  return  she  invited  him  to  a 
reception  tendered  the  Educators  of  the  State,  keep- 
ing him  with  her  and  introducing  him  to  the  prom- 
inent people  present  as,  "My  Soldier  Boy." 

I  remember  saying  to  her  on  one  occasion,  "Well, 
the  war  has  helped  me,  anyhow.  I  now  know  where 
the  Philippine  Islands  are."  Laughing,  she  said, 
"And  a  great  many  others  can  say  the  same." 

She  showed  such  an  individual  and  especial  in- 
terest in  young  men  who  were  fortunate  enough  to 
come  into  some  personal  touch  with  her,  that  their 
lives  were  always,  in  some  way  helpfully  influenced 
by  her. 

Health  and  strength  were  wooed  back  to  many 
young  men  who  were  brought  under  her  care  at 
Mills  College  during  the  Spanish-American  War; 
taken  there  to  convalesce  away  from  the  environ- 
ment of  camp  and  its  life. 

It  was  not  due  so  much  to  the  beauty  and  quiet 
of  the  surroundings  as  to  the  personal  supervision 
of  the  care,  and  to  the  personal  interest  in  every 
detail  given  by  this  wonderful  woman,  that  health 
was  magically  restored  to  them. 


June  25. 

HEE  heart  and  hands  have  ever  been  open  for 
the  relief  and  encouragement  of  needy  stu- 
dents and  for  the  furtherance  of  every  good 
work. 

Her  interest  in  all  public  affairs  as  shown  by  all 
that  she  did  for  the  soldiers  in  the  Spanish  War 
and  in  all  the  political  problems  of  late  years,  is 
truly  wonderful. 

Even  now  she  finds  little  time  for  rest  and  fulfills 
the  promise  of  old,  "She  shall  still  bring  forth 
fruit  in  old  age. ' ' 


"It  may  be  a  source  of  pleasure  to  her  to  know 
that  her  life  and  work  have  been  the  source  of  in- 
spiration to  all  school  people." — Thomas  F.  Kane, 
President  University  of  Washington. 

"The  dean  of  educators  in  the  American  college 
for  women,  she  has  writ  her  name  large  in  the 
educational  annals  of  the  West,  and  as  her  many 
friends  on  the  Pacific  Slope  gather  round  her  on 
this  auspicious  occasion  to  do  her  honor,  the  colleges 
and  universities  of  the  East  join  in  wishing  her 
many  happy  return  of  the  day." — J.  G.  Schurman, 
President  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

"She  has  done  much  to  advance  the  higher  edu- 
cation of  women,  and  all  who  are  engaged  in  that 
work  are  greatly  indebted  for  her  unselfish  devo- 
tion to  it." — L.  Clark  Seelye,  President  Smith  Col- 
lege. 


June  26. 

44    A     BEAUTIFUL  life   is   one   that    wears    the 
'sunlight'  of  God's  smile." 


To  go  through  life  full  of  energy,  enthu- 
siasm, interest  in  others  —  a  personal,  wholesome, 
helpful  influence  —  never  growing  weary  in  well- 
doing tho  '  it  often  meant  under  very  difficult  con- 
ditions, to  be  always  found  at  the  post  of  duty  — 
these  were  a  few  of  the  characteristics  of  this 
remarkable  woman,  for  remarkable  she  surely  was. 

A  woman  whom  the  country  should  have  known 
better. 

A  citizen  of  whom  California  should  even  now 
know  more. 

A  pioneer  educator  in  our  State,  and  Founder  of 
the  only  Woman's  College,  to  date,  on  our  coast; 
a  College  of  accredited  rank  and  standing,  requir- 
ing only  endowment  to  place  it  with  institutions 
receiving  the  benefit  of  the  Carnegie  and  Rocke- 
feller Foundations. 

A  woman  with  whomr  even  our  city  Oakland  was 
not  sufficiently  well-acquainted  as  to  understand  her 
wonderful  personality,  her  worth,  and  her  work; 
her  indomitable  energy  to  accomplish  a  great  work, 
her  lack  of  encouragement  by  those  who  should 
have  been  most  interested  in  its  achievement. 

Her  life  has  probably  touched  in  a  personal  and 
helpful  way,  the  lives  of  more  young  women,  than 
that  of  any  one  other  woman  in  our  State,  while 
many  young  men,  and  older  ones  too,  not  to  mention 
mothers  can  attest  to  her  wise  counsel  and  her  help- 
ful guidance. 

Should  California  have  a  Hall  of  Fame,  honoring 
those  pioneer  helpers  who  were  not  born  in  this 
State,  Susan  Lincoln  Mills  should  be  one  of  the  first 
names  to  be  inscribed  on  its  tablets. 


June  27. 

IN  a   remarkable  degree,   did  Mrs.  Mills  combine 
faith  and  common  sense,  the  highest  ideals  of 
truth  and  religion  with  a  far-seeing  practicality 
and  faculty  for  accomplishment.   .    .    . 

In  her,  head  and  heart  were  finely  balanced.  She 
embodied  both  vision  and  duty.  .  .  . 

But  it  is  as  a  teacher  that  she  excelled,  and  will 
be  remembered,  for  she  had  a  genius  for  teaching. 

Mrs.  Mills  possessed  that  highest  gift  of  the  real 
teacher — the  ability  to  create  the  mental  and  moral 
atmosphere  in  which  her  pupils  worked.  .  .  . 

She  was  qualified  among  those  rare  spirits  who 
teach  by  richness  of  nature,  by  nobleness  of  spirit, 
by  those  fine  instincts  and  influences  which  are 
incarnated  by  the  few  choice  souls  who  teach  for 
no  mere  earthly  and  material  rewards,  but  with  the 
power  to  lift  their  pupils  into  enthusiasm,  and 
work  in  them  as  a  vital  personality. 

One  has  laid  down  this  rule  as  the  necessary  path 
of  those  who  reach  success  in  this  great  calling: 

"O'er  wayward  childhood  wouldst  thou  hold  firm 

rule, 

And  sun  thee  in  the  light  of  happy  faces? 
Love,    Hope,    and    Patience — these    must    be    thy 

graces, 
And    in    thine    own    heart,    let    them    first    teach 

school." 


H 


June  28. 

AD  Cyrus  Taggart  Mills  devoted  his  life  to  a 
secular  calling,  he  would  have  become  a 
millionaire  without  a  stain  upon  his  record. 

He  cherished  some  large  business  plans  not  for 
personal  aggrandizement,  but  for  his  beloved  Sem- 
inary and  College. 

If  some  of  his  enterprises  seemed  bold  in  concep- 
tion, the  thought  behind  them  was  as  clear  as  crys- 
tal. Once  his  opinion  was  formed,  he  held  to  it  with 
great  tenacity. 

If  he  felt  the  ground  firm  under  him,  he  never 
shifted  it  for  sand. 

This  steadfastness  of  purpose  was  in  the  moral 
fibre  of  the  man. 

When  he  had  planted  himself  firmly  there  was 
no  faltering  step. 

While  he  waited  patiently  for  some  results,  he 
could  be  swift  in  execution  when  the  set  time  had 
come.  His  faith  was  equivalent  to  victory. 

He  turned  his  limited  financial  resources  over 
and  over,  and  at  every  turn  there  were  more. 

His  oversight  went  to  the  minutest  detail,  while 
he  could,  also,  plan  for  a  town-site,  now,  one  of  the 
most  prosperous  cities  of  Southern  California. 


June  29. 

FOR  more  than  twenty  years,  it  was  my  privilege 
to  know  Mrs.  Susan  L.  Mills  as  my  neighbor, 
and  for  five  years,  was  closely  associated  with 
her  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Mills 
College. 

The  one  thing  in  her  life  that  most  deeply  im- 
pressed me,  was  her  constant  and  earnest  appeal 
for  prayer  for  the  College. 

She  was  a  woman  of  prayer,  and  her  highest 
thought  was  for  the  College  to  be  all  that  it  was 
originally  consecrated  unto,  namely,  "For  Christ 
and  the  World. ' ' 

Not  only  for  the  College  as  a  whole,  did  she  pray 
and  ask  prayer,  but  also  for  individual  students, 
as  she  realized  their  spiritual  need.  She  seemed 
to  bear  each  one  on  her  heart,  and  to  know  them 
BO  well  that  she  could  pray  and  ask  prayer  for  them 
intelligently. 

She  was  surely  a  rare  spirit,  and  had  great  ex- 
ecutive ability,  touching  even  the  smallest  details 
of  all  that  concerned  the  welfare  of  the  College. 


June  30. 


ELIZABETH  TOLMAN   (De  WITT) 

Born  1821;  died  1845. 
Mrs.   Mills'    Older   Sister. 

From   "Daily  Food"  texts  of  Julia  M.  Tolman,  1838 
We  know  that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them 
that    love    God,    to    them   who   are   called   according   to   his 
purpose. — Romans  8:28. 

My  Savior,  I  would  freely  yield 
What  most  I  prize,  to  thee, 

Who  never  hast  a  good  withheld 
Or  wilt  withhold  from  me. 

All  are  yours,  and  ye  are  Christ's. — I.  Cor.  3:22,23. 
Sister  Elizabeth's  Birthday. 


A  MEMORY  OP  MRS.  MILLS. 
(From  Browning) 

"One  who   never  turned  her    back    but    marched 

breast  forward, 

Never  doubted  clouds  would  break, 
Never  dreamed,  though  right  were  worsted,  wrong 

would  triumph, 

Held — we  fall  to  rise,  are  baffled  to  fight  better, 
Sleep  to  wake." 


July  1. 

LIFE  with  most  of  us,  I  fancy,  seems  much  like 
a   Presidential    reception — we    see   an    endless 
throng  of  fellow  mortals,  we  shake  hands,  we 
exchange  a  few  words  with  them,  but  no   matter 
how  often   we   see  them,   we  know  their  habit  of 
mind    no    better;    we    are    neither     influenced     nor 
helped  by  their  personality. 

It  is  a  great  day  with  us,  when  we  meet  some  one 
whose  force,  originality,  insight,  and  directness  of 
purpose  are  such  that  they  inevitably  become  part 
of  ourselves! 

Such  days  may  be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  the 
average  mortal!  And  if  this  meeting  comes  in  the 
days  of  early  youth,  how  much  more  it  is  a  red- 
letter  day  in  our  life  history! 

Such  a  day  I  count  it,  when,  as  a  shy  little 
school-girl,  I  first  met  Mrs.  Mills;  first  heard  the 
quick,  "Come,  child,"  which  a  score  of  years  later 
I  answered  to,  as  naturally  as  on  that  first  hearing. 

Of  course,  I  did  not  appreciate  Mrs.  Mills  then — 
youth  is  usually  crude  in  its  judgments — but  in  the 
years  that  have  passed,  since  I  sat  in  her  classes, 
the  conviction  has  deepened,  that  in  her  I  had 
come  to  know  one  of  the  most  remarkable  person- 
alities I  was  destined  to  meet. 


July  2. 


Many  daughters  have  done  virtuously,  but  thou  excellent 
them  all. — Proverbs  31:29. 


AN"  almost  invariable  characteristic  of  any  force- 
ful personality,  is  that  it  has  had  a  distinct 
goal   in   sight   and   has   never  swerved   from 
attaining  it.    So  it  was  with  the  Apostle  Paul,  with 
Luther,  with  all  the  great  reformers,  inventors,  and 
teachers  of  mankind! 

Equally  true  of  Mrs.  Mills  was  this  devotion  to  a 
life-work — the   higher   education    of   the   daughters 
of  California,  and  the   founding   of  an  institution 
.  .  .  where  they  might  walk  in  the  paths  of  learn- 
ing and  be  inspired  to  realize  higher  ideals. 

This  aim  she  never  lost  sight  of.  Truly  could 
she  say  like  the  Apostle,  "Have  any  labored,  yet 
have  I  more!"  Early  and  late,  in  sickness  and 
in  health  alike,  she  was  at  her  post,  not  because  she 
had  to  be,  but  because  she  could  not  willingly  be 
anywhere  else. 

This  devotion, — this  unquenchable  enthusiasm, — 
has  been  an  inspiration  to  many  hundreds  of  young 
women  who  have  gone  out  from  Mills. 

What  graduate  could  ever  let  life  slip  away  in 
inglorious  ease  or  self-seeking,  without  a  sting, 
who  remembers,  as  she  must  remember,  Mrs.  Mills  f 
What  student,  hearing  in  memory's  halls,  those 
light,  quick-moving  footsteps, — or  the  equally  tire- 
less ones  at  night,  but  must  realize  the  direct 
personal  interest;  the  oversight  which  to  youth 
seemed  stern,  perhaps,  yet  underneath  was  always 
kindly? 


July  3. 

At  a  Luncheon  of  the  Mills  Alumnae  Branch  in 
Los  Angeles,  1909,  the  following  Toast  was  given 
in  Honor  of  Mrs.  Mills: 


L 


IFE  was  made  for  faith.  The  large  success  has 
always  been  to  men  and  women  of  vision  who 
lived  and  worked  as  seeing  the  thing  yet  to  be. 

"They  went  out,  not  knowing  whither  they  went, 
not  seeking  a  city  that  had  foundations,"  so  run 
the  beautiful  old  words  that  describe  the  age-long 
Divine  ' '  adventure. ' ' 

The  Spirit  that  makes  beginnings — that  dares 
great  things — that  presses  on  undaunted — that  "fol- 
lows the  gleam" — that  knows  not  discouragement 
and  recognizes  no  "unsuccess" — this  is  the  true 
romance  of  the  world;  this  its  creature  life,  its 
touch  of  the  Divine. 

As  we  think  of  the  life  of  our  loved  and  honored 
President,  Mrs.  Mills,  is  it  not  full  of  this  romance 
of  faith  and  the  on-going  spirit? 

From  the  modest  beginnings  at  Benieia  to  the 
beautiful  vision  of  the  College  already  outlined  in 
noble  proportions  and  rising  so  fair  before  us. 


July  4. 

FEW   see   their   vision   so   largely  realized.     For 
most  leaders  there  is  the  long  taxing  wilder- 
ness   journey,     and     just     one    Pisgah-height 
glimpse  of  the  land  to  be  possessed. 

More  has  been  given  to  dear  Mrs.  Mills.  Her 
eager  vigorous  spirit  is  still  leading  the  way,  set- 
ting a  pace  we  may  well  bestir  ourselves  to  follow — 
pressing  on  to  increased  endowment,  more  ade- 
quate buildings,  larger  numbers  of  College  students. 

Let  us  match  her  devotion  by  our  loyalty;  her 
generosity  of  giving  by  our  generosity;  her  faith 
by  our  ardent  enthusiasm. 

Let  us  love  her  warm  heart  that  holds  in  remem- 
brance every  one  of  her  girls  and  goes  out  to  their 
children  and  grandchildren.  Let  us  dream  and 
hope  great  things  for  the  College  that  bears  her 
name,  which  we  love  for  her  sake  and  for  its  own 
great  promise. 

It  is  with  tenderness  and  deep  feeling  I  give  you 
this  toast: 

MRS.  MILLS  I 

May  her  heart  be  full  of  joy; 

May  the  love  of  her  girls  be  a  crown  of  glory  to  her; 

May  our  faith  equal  hers — and, 

May  her  "dreams"  all  "come  true." 


July  5. 


SARAH  TOLMAN   (FOSTER). 

Born  1823;  died  1852. 

Mrs.   Mills'    Sister. 

From  the    "Daily  Food,"   page  of  Miss  Julia  Tolman. 

Abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil. — I.  Thes.  5:16-22. 
thereby  good  shall  come  unto  thee. — Job  22 :21. 

Blind  unbelief  is  sure  to  err, 
And  scan  his  work  in  vain; 

God  is  his  own  interpreter, 
And  he  will  make  it  plain. 

That  which  I  see  not,  teach  thou  me. — Job  34:32. 
Sister  Sarah's  death,  Feb.  6,  1852. 


RECALLING  the  manner  in  which  Mrs.  Mills 
read   the    news,    I    am    more    and    more    im- 
pressed, as  I  realize  what  a  wonderfully  keen 
eye  she  had,  symbolizing  her  splendid  discernment. 

She  could  glean  in  five  or  ten  minutes,  the  news 
of  the  day  both  at  home  and  abroad,  and  relate  it 
at  prayers  in  such  a  clear,  concise,  and  intelligent 
manner  that  it  was  really  more  worth  while  to 
listen  to  her  recount  it,  than  to  look  at  the  daily 
paper  and  spend  time  gathering  the  wheat  from 
the  chaff. 


"Never  put  down  in  black  and  white  anything 
you  would  be  ashamed  to  have  your  mother  see," 
and  "Never  write  a  letter  you  would  blush  to 
show  your  mother  or  to  have  her  read." 


July  6. 

California  Pioneer  Society  of  Alameda,  Contra 
Costa  and  Adjacent  Counties,  No.  31. 

Organized  April  1,  1886. 

Oakland,  May  4,  1888. 
Mrs.  C.  T.  Mills. 

Dear  Friend:  I  take  great  pleasure  in  notifying 
you  that  at  the  regular  monthly  meeting  of  the 
"California  Pioneer  Society  of  Alameda,  Contra 
Costa,  and  Adjacent  Counties"  held  last  evening, 
you  were  (upon  my  motion)  unanimously  elected  an 
Honorary  Member  thereof  in  consideration  of  the 
eminent  service  you  have  rendered  to  Alameda  and 
Solano  Counties  in  particular,  to  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia and  the  Pacific  Coast  in  general,  and  to  the 
"Isles  of  the  Sea,"  in  the  cause  of  education,  by 
founding  and  establishing  a  Seminary  and  College 
for  young  ladies,  which  has  no  superior  in  the 
United  States  for  educational  facilities. 

Enclosed  please  find  your  badge  of  honorary  mem- 
bership. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Eespectfully  and  sincerely  yours, 

EDWIN  A.  SHERMAN, 
(Seal)  Secretary. 

Office  of  the  Secretary, 
568  Eighteenth  Street. 


July  7. 

MARY  ATKINS    (LYNCH). 

Born  1819;  died  1882. 
Pioneer  Founder,   Benicis. 

THE  Seminary  in  Benicia,  the  foundation  upon 
which  our  dear  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  builded 
so    well,    was   organized   under   a    Board    of 
Trustees  in  1852. 

It  did  good  work  for  two  years,  when  a  new 
leader  was  needed.  Just  the  right  one  appeared  in 
the  person  of  our  beloved  Mary  Atkins. 

Miss  Atkins  conducted  the  school  one  year  under 
the  Trustees,  then  bought  it  outright.  From  that 
time  on,  it  grew  and  with  great  success,  as  is  at- 
tested by  the  number  and  the  character  of  its 
graduates. 

In  1865,  the  Seminary  was  purchased  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mills. 

The  College  of  today,  built  upon  that  Foundation, 
the  corner-stone  of  which  was  laid  in  Benicia, 
stands  as  a  monument  to  the  ability  and  devotion 
of  three  persons  who  had  consecrated  themselves 
to  the  development  of  educated  Christian  woman- 
hood in  California. 

These  three  persons  are  Mary  Atkins,  the  Bev- 
erend  C.  T.  Mills,  and  Susan  L.  Mills. 


Mrs.  Mills  held  Mary  Atkins  in  high  esteem.  For 
many  years,  she  kept  a  photograph  of  this  Cali- 
fornia pioneer  in  women's  education,  on  the  chif- 
fonier in  her  sleeping-room.  It  was  there  at  the 
time  of  her  death. 


Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  I  lay  in 
Zion  for  a  foundation  a  stone,  a  tried  stone,  a  precious 
corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation. — Isaiah  28:16. 


July  8. 

THE  work  of  Miss  Atkins  as  a  pioneer  educator 
was  very  arduous  and  exacting,  for  she  stood 
alone  in  carrying  the  responsibilities  for  so 
large  an  establishment  as  the  Young  Ladies  Sem- 
inary had  grown  to  be,  and  in  1863,  she  left  for  a 
year's  visit  to  the  Orient    (the  Sandwich  Islands, 
China,    Japan    and    Siam),    returning    to    find    the 
school  in  a  much  less  prosperous  condition  than  on 
her  departure. 

Her  power  for  organization  and  her  strong  per- 
sonal influence,  again  made  the  school  a  command- 
ing feature  of  the  State. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  bought  the  Seminary  in  1865, 
leaving  Miss  Atkins  free  to  travel  thru  England 
and  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  studying  educa- 
tional needs,  for  in  such  matters  was  her  great 
interest. 


Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  had  moved  the  Seminary  to  a 
larger  and  more  beautiful  site  .  .  .  and  the  new 
school  was  renamed  Mills  Seminary,  but  the  Sem- 
inary in  Benicia  was  the  old  foundation  school. 

It  has  now  developed  into  Mills  College.  Long 
may  it  live,  sending  out  a  glorious  company  to  walk 
farther  and  climb  higher,  because  the  training  from 
the  old  beginning  was  broad  and  strong  and  just 
and  powerful,  making  indeed  a  "Camino  Seal, "  to 
be  traversed  in  after  years  by  many  earnest  women. 


o 


July  9. 

P  the  many  helpful  sayings  of  Mrs.  Mills,  the 
one  that  comes  to  me  most  often  is,  "Pass 
it  on." 

"Have  you  had  a  kindness  shown, 

Pass  it  on. 
'Twas  not  meant  for  you  alone; 

Pass  it  on. 

Let  it  travel  down  the  years, 
Let  it  wipe  another's  tears 
Till  in  heaven  the  deed  appears. 

Pass  it  on. ' ' 

Often,  do  I  think  of  that  other  short  saying  so 
often  heard  from  her  lips: 

"Young  ladies,  don't  leave  all  the  flowers  for  the 
casket. ' ' 

A  beautiful  thought  comes  to  my  mind  which  I 
cannot  quote  as  she  gave  it;  this  is  the  thought, 
however: 

"Young  ladies,  when  you  go  back  to  your  homes, 
don't  make  your  parents  uncomfortable  by  criticis- 
ing their  ways.  Eemember  their  training  has  been 
different  and  that  they  have  sacrificed  to  give  you 
advantages. ' ' 


July  10. 

"At  a  Eeception  for  Mrs.  C.  T.  Mills  at  Oahu 
College,  Honolulu,  July  8,  '99." 

THERE    are    "swift    rushing    hours     in     life." 
Surely,   of   such   is   the   present  hour,   when 
we  assemble  to  greet  her  who  was  once  num- 
bered among  the  enthusiastic  and  faithful  teachers 
of  Oahu  College. 

She  with  her  devoted  husband,  guided  the  studies 
and  presided  over  the  culture  of  pupils  who  have 
since  risen  to  eminent  positions. 

How  the  memories  throng,  of  those  early  days! 

I  am  glad  to  testify  of  her  faithful  early  life, 
as  her  classmate  for  three  years  at  Mt.  Holyoke, 
and  for  two  years,  a  sister  teacher  under  the  admin- 
istration of  Mary  Lyon.  .  .  . 

The  fame  of  Mills  Seminary  and  College  is  justly 
due  to  the  wise  and  faithful  administration  of 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mills. 

Mrs.  Mills  still  lives,  and  the  results  of  her  life 
work  will  not  lessen  as  the  years  roll  on  that  link 
Time  with  Eternity. 

PERSIS  G.  TAYLOB. 

Classmate  of  Mrs.  Mills,  Mt.  Holyoke,  '45. 


July  11. 

(For  a  birthday  of  July  13) 

MES.  MILLS  loved  honesty  and  despised  deceit. 
Never,  as  far  as  I  know,  did  one  of  her  girls 
go  to  her  for  help  but  she  gave  of  her  wis- 
dom, her  knowledge,  and  her  love. 

Her  great  power  of  government  was  most  notice- 
able the  day  of  our  great  earthquake  in  nineteen 
hundred  and  six.  Every  where  there  was  confusion; 
our  city  across  the  bay  was  in  flames,  yet,  at  Mills 
College  quiet  reigned;  the  classes  were  held  as 
usual;  never  for  one  moment  was  Mrs.  Mills'  hand 
off  the  helm  and  she  guided  her  school  through  one 
of  the  greatest  nerve  tensions  that  California  has 
ever  experienced. 

Mrs.  Mills  was  a  woman  of  great  diplomacy.  Not 
reposeful,  herself,  she  always  insisted  upon  it,  aware 
of  her  own  lack.  "Be  reposeful,  young  ladies; 
there  is  nothing  like  repose, ' '  and  while  giving  this 
advice,  she  would  be  toying  with  pencil  or  watch- 
chain.  However,  in  matters  of  emergency,  requir- 
ing self-control,  she  was  never  lacking;  as  at  the 
time  of  the  earthquake  mentioned.  She  not  only 
held  herself  in  perfect  poise,  but  her  quick  mind 
acted  upon  the  instant,  and  acted  wisely.  Always 
optimistic,  there  was  a  silver  lining  to  every  cloud. 
She  had  faith  and  knew  not  the  word  fail. 


July  12. 

JOHN  TOLMAN. 

Born  1791;  died  1845. 

Mrs.  Mills'   Father. 

From  the    "Daily  Food"    texts  of  Miss  Julia  Tolman. 

It  is  a  faithful  saying,  For  if  we  be  dead  with  Him,  we 
shall  also  live  with  Him. — II.  Tim.  2:11. 

And  that  He  died  for  all,  that  they  which  live  should 
not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  hut  unto  Him  which 
died  for  them  and  rose  again. — II.  Cor.  5:15. 


IT   has   always   seemed    to   me   that    the   father, 
Mr.  Tolman,  must  have  been  a  superior  man,  in 
that  he  sent  his  five  daughters  to  Mt.  Holyoke 
in    the    days    when   comparatively  few    girls   went 
away  to  school. 

He  was  a  deacon  of  the  church  in  Ware,  and  I 
judge  a  prominent  citizen. 


In  speaking  to  her  girls  as  to  their  health  and 
its  care,  when  warning  them  to  avoid  drafts, 
Mrs.  Mills  would  say:  "Fresh  air  does  not  neces- 
sarily mean  a  draft.  It  depends  upon  how  it  reaches 
you";  then  would  quote  this  couplet  as  one  that 
she  had  often  heard  her  father  repeat: 

"If  cold  wind  strike  you  thro'  a  hole, 
Go  make  your  will,  and  mind  your  soul." 

All  who  have  heard  her  speak  in  the  Tolman  Band 
Meetings  on  the  subject  of  giving  and  of  gratitude, 
must  recall  her  frequent  reference  to  her  father, 
and  how  he  used  to  say  to  his  children: 

"That  man  may  last  but  never  lives 
Who  much  receives  and  nothing  gives; 
Whom  none  can  love,  and  none  can  thank, 
Creation 's  blot — creation 's  blank. ' ' 

Deacon  Tolman  is  characterized  as  "a  man  of 
piety,  parts,  and  worth. ' ' 


July  13. 

MES.    MILLS    often    said    to    me: 
"A    good 
mother  and  a   good  daughter,"  and  "You 
always  think  of  something  different  and  something 
nice. ' ' 

When  the  Susan  Lincoln  Mills  Auxiliary  to  the 
Spanish-American  War  Veterans  was  organized,  she 
presented  the  Association  with  a  Bible,  and  gave  a 
gavel  made  of  rose-wood  from  the  Banksia  bush  of 
Eose  Porch,  Mills  College. 

"You  need  a  flag,"  she  said,  "but  if  each  one 
of  the  members  will  give  toward  it,  I  will  make 
up  the  lack.  That  which  we  help  to  acquire  we  ap- 
preciate more." 

Mrs.  Mills  doubled  the  amount  contributed,  and 
a  beautiful  silk  flag  was  purchased,  the  writer  hav- 
ing had  the  honor  to  be  its  first  custodian. 

Upon  receiving  a  bouquet  of  red  carnations  from 
the  Auxiliary,  she  said:  "Such  beautiful  flowers! 
And  my  favorite  color;  it  is  always  so  bright  and 
cheery!" 

"You  and  I  shall  not  live  to  see  it,  but  the  day 
will  come  when  Mills  College  will  be  everywhere 
acknowledged  as  standing  in  the  first  rank  of  insti- 
tutions for  the  higher  education  of  women.  I  am 
the  son  of  a  prophet,  and  just  a  little  bit  of  a 
prophet  myself." 

(For  another  birthday  of  July  13,  see  July  11) 


July  14. 

ALTHOUGH  I  cannot  do  her  justice,  it  is  a 
pleasure  and  a  privilege  to  contribute  a  page 
to  this  tribute  to  Mrs.  Mills. 

My  earliest  recollections  of  Mrs.  Mills  came  from 
my  mother  and  father.  Through  my  mother,  from 
Mrs.  Mills'  association  with  Mt-  Holyoke  College, 
Massachusetts.  Through  my  father,  who  went  out 
to  Madras,  India,  as  a  foreign  missionary.  During 
his  eight  years  sojourn  in  Madras,  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Mills  came  there  as  missionaries  and  stopped  at  my 
father's  home  six  months. 

Years  later,  when  as  a  young  girl  I  was  about  to 
enter  the  Seminary,  Mrs.  Mills  took  possession  of 
my  hands  with  the  little  reassuring  motherly  touch 
so  characteristic  of  her,  and  the  words,  "My 
child."  It  made  a  very  strong  impression  upon  me. 
"My  child"  was  one  of  her  favorite  terms  of 
address,  and  fully  expressed  her  motherly  interest 
and  kindly  thought — so  helpful  to  girls  away  from 
home. 

When  our  class  was  to  graduate,  Mrs.  Mills  pre- 
sented us  each  with  a  small  leather-bound  birth- 
day book  containing  Scripture  verses  for  the  days 
of  the  year. 

On  the  title  page  of  mine  are  the  words  in 
Mrs.  Mills '  handwriting,  ' '  With  love  of  S.  L.  Mills, 
May  25,  1887.  Phil.  1:27."  The  reference  reads: 
"Only  let  your  conversation  be  as  it  becometh 
the  Gospel  of  Christ,  that  whether  I  come  and  see 
you  or  else  be  absent,  I  may  hear  of  your  affairs 
that  ye  stand  fast  in  one  spirit,  striving  together 
for  the  faith  of  the  Gospel." 

This  is  but  a   feeble  tribute  to   Mrs.   Mills.     A 
noble    woman!      A    devoted    Christian!      Her   won- 
derful personality,  quiet  force,  grim  determination, 
untiring  zeal  and  enthusiasm,  and  fervent  Christian 
spirit  still  live  and  are  ever  present  in  the  silent 
influence  that  is  and  always  will  be  at  Mills  College. 
For   Mrs.    Mills,   dear   teacher,   friend, 
This  humble  tribute  do  I  send; 
Her  Christian  faith,  her  spirit  mild, 
Her  gentle  touch  with  words  ' '  My  child, ' ' 
In  memories'  chain  will  ever  be, 
For  all  time  and  eternity. 


July  15. 

661  WILL  lift  up  mine  eyes,  unto  the  hills  from 
whence  cometh  my  help?  My  help  cometh 
from  the  Lord,"  was  my  favorite  Bible  verse 
as  Mrs.  Mills  gave  it.  She  always  read  the  first 
part  as  a  question  and  said  it  should  have  been  so 
punctuated  in  the  text.  "For,"  said  she,  "in  India, 
the  heathen  looked  to  the  hills  where  were  stationed 
idols  innumerable,  and  in  their  ignorance  and 
idolatry  expected  help  therefrom.  What  a  blessing 
to  lead  them  to  look  to  the  living  God  who  made 
heaven  and  earth!" 

"Never  shirk  your  duty";  "Always  strive  for 
the  best";  she  used  to  say  in  her  little  talks  to 
her  girls. 

Mrs.  Mills  was  very  dear  to  my  heart  for  her 
great  assistance  in  my  education.  Her  motherly 
love  for  me  when  I  entered  Mills  a  child  of  thirteen, 
and  her  good-night  kiss  so  often  given,  especially 
during  my  first  month,  linger  in  my  memory  and 
will  forever. 

Few  women,  it  seems  to  me,  have  combined  in 
one  person  so  many  graces  of  character  as  has  this 
wonderful  woman.  She  stood  pre-eminent  among 
the  women  of  California.  Pre-eminent  not  only  as 
an  educator  and  the  founder  of  the  first  Woman's 
College  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  nor  for  her  great  ex- 
executive  ability,  but  for  her  deeply  religious 
nature. 

Her  love  and  sympathy,  expressed  for  all  who 
came  in  contact  with  her,  was  her  greatest  gift. 


July  16. 

1  CHERISH  an  unbounded  love  and  respect  for 
Mrs.  Mills  and  for  her  memory.  Although  but 
a  child  when  placed  in  her  charge,  I  was  im- 
pressed by  her  zeal  and  her  untiring  energy  in  the 
performance  of  her  many  tasks.  She  was  full  of 
ambition  even  in  her  advanced  years,  and  she  pos- 
sessed executive  ability  of  a  rare  type.  She  had 
the  peculiar  faculty  of  inspiring  in  others  a  deter- 
mination to  succeed  in  whatever  they  set  out  to  do, 
even  though  confronted  with  obstacles  apparently 
insurmountable.  She  was  a  woman  of  strong  will- 
power, and  was  naturally  adapted  for  the  great 
work  to  which  she  devoted  her  life  and  energies — 
that  of  moulding  and  developing  young  woman- 
hood. 

Mrs.  Mills  was  always  proud  of  her  girls  and  of 
their  achievements.  While  she  was  in  a  sense  a 
strict  disciplinarian,  she  was  ever  ready  to  overlook 
delinquencies  resulting  from  impulse  rather  than 
from  premeditation  or  viciousness,  and  her  great 
moral  influence  was  invariably  reflected  in  the  lives 
and  character  of  many  young  women  who  looked 
to  her  for  advice  and  instruction. 

Mrs.  Mills'  strong  personality,  combined  with 
her  gentle  Christian  spirit,  at  all  times  won  for  her 
the  admiration,  love,  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom 
she  came  in  contact,  whether  in  educational,  social 
or  religious  circles. 

Gentle  and  kind,  but  firm  and  determined  when 
the  occasion  demanded  firmness  and  determination; 
possessing  all  the  attributes  of  true  womanhood, 
and  a  nobility  of  character  always  to  be  remem- 
bered and  admired,  Mrs.  Mills  has  found  a  last- 
ing abiding  place  in  our  hearts  and  "there  she 
shall  remain  forever"  and  her  memory  is,  and  ever 
will  be,  cherished  and  revered  by  her  many  girls 
whose  lives  and  characters  have  been  ennobled  by 
her  influence. 


July  17. 

Mrs.  Mills'  remarks  to  one  of  her  Senior  classes 
as  the  young  women  were  about  to  graduate.  The 
year  is  not  given  on  the  manuscript,  but  many  will 
surely  recall  the  event,  as  they  read  these  four 
pages. 


IF  I  am  not  mistaken,  the  first  diploma  given  to 
young  women  was  given  by  Mary  Lyon  at  Mt. 
Holyoke,  in  1837  or  8.     She  gave  me  mine  in 
1845.     On  it  was  inscribed  these  words: 

"Our  daughters  shall  be  as  corner-stones  polished 
after  the  similitude  of  a  palace. ' '  Under  the  words, 
is  the  figure  of  the  sculptor  who  is  busy  cutting 
the  stone  which  is  designed  for  a  corner-stone. 

The  same  words  were  our  Mr.  Brown's  text  when 
he  lately  spoke  to  you  and  other  young  women.  .  .  . 

I  wish  to  give  you  for  your  motto,  ' '  Strength  and 
Beauty." 

If  I  mistake  not,  that  is  the  sculptor's  lesson, 
and  that  was  the  design  of  Mary  Lyon's  motto,  and 
though  she  adopted  it  long  before  the  Woman's 
College  was  considered  proper,  it  was  then  in  her 
heart  and  she  coveted  the  very  best  for  the  daugh- 
ters of  the  land. 

More  than  once  she  said  to  me,  "I  shall  not  live 
to  see  it,  but  you  will  live  to  see  the  daughters  hav- 
ing as  good  a  chance  as  their  brothers."  I  thank 
God  that  I  have  lived  to  see  it,  and  for  you,  I  covet 
the  highest  and  the  best  as  truly  as  she  did: 
Strength  and  Beauty  of  Character. 


July  18. 

WE  want  you  to  be  sound  to  the  heart's  core; 
strong  enough  for  the  foundation;  fitted  to 
be  corner-stones  in  homes  and  in  the  com- 
munities; true  and  reliable  everywhere. 


The  idea  of  strength  is  simple,  and  so  is  that  of 
beauty,  and  yet  strength  and  beauty  are  combined 
in  nature:  The  mountain  and  the  green  valley; 
the  rainbow  overhanging  the  precipice;  and  the 
gnarled  oak  with  its  coronel  of  beauty — showing 
that  the  two  may  be  akin  to  each  other.  And  so, 
while  I  hope  you  will  go  out  from  us  strong  in 
character,  yet  I  hope  this  character  will  ever  be  a 
beautiful  one. 

It  is  not  physical  beauty  that  I  am  desiring  for 
you,  but  the  highest  moral  beauty;  that  which  shall 
render  you  only  a  little  lower  than  the  angels,  and 
crowned  with  glory  and  honor. 

We  have  tried  to  lay  good  foundations;  to  teach 
you  that  "the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom." 

Thus  you  are  to  grow  stronger  and  more  beautiful 
as  you  grow  in  years. 

As  Christian  women  we  want  you  should  carry 
the  Christ  with  you,  as  the  lamp  carries  the  flame 
and  the  flower,  its  perfume. 


July  19. 

THIS  corner-stone  is  not  only  to  be  built  into  the 
structure,  but  it  is  to  be  polished  after  the 
similitude  of  a  palace,  and  so  are  you  to  serve 
a  most  useful  purpose  and  to  do  it  in  such  a  way 
that  you  will  be  a  blessing  to  all  about  you. 

I  want  you  to  be  true,  good,  winsome  women. 

Your  position  may  be  lowly  as  the  corner-stone, 
almost  out  of  sight,  yet  you  may  do  your  part  in 
building  upon  this  foundation  so  that,  as  the  struc- 
ture grows,  even  the  angels  may  rejoice  in  it. 

But  if  this  is  so,  there  must  be  a  will  directed 
by  an  enlightened  conscience;  the  affections  must 
be  properly  controlled. 

This  beauty  is  not  earthly  beauty.  As  the  beauty 
of  the  cheek  of  health  is  due  to  the  active  heart 
within,  so  the  beauty  of  character  must  be  due  to 
the  central  principle  within;  the  principle  of  love 
which  makes  us  more  and  more  like  Him  who 
pleased  not  Himself. 

Fearless,  sweet,  considerate,  and  welcome  every- 
where, opportunities  will  not  be  wanting  in  which, 
as  Christian  women  you  can  show  your  colors. 


PRESIDENT    MILLS-    COMMENCEMENT   DAY 


July  20. 

WE  live   in   a   day  and  in  a  State  where  the 
beautiful    Sabbath,    once    so    honored    and 
dear,  is  so  generally  profaned.    As  Christian 
women,  firmly  and  quietly,  make  it  known  that  you 
remember  and  desire  to  honor  the  Lord's  Day. 

Be  a  purifying  source  in  society;  stand  for  the 
right,  the  pure,  and  the  true. 

But  you  are  to  remember  that  the  strength  and 
beauty  that  can  do  this,  are  not  those  of  nature. 
The  strength  is  the  strength  of  faith,  and  the  beauty 
is  the  beauty  of  holiness.  This  combination  of 
strength  and  beauty,  you  may  all  reach;  every  one 
of  you. 

Other  strength  will  decay,  other  beauty  will  fade, 
but  this  strength  will  only  grow  stronger  and  this 
beauty  more  attractive  as  time  shall  roll  on. 

"They  that  wait  on  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength;  they  shall  mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles; 
they  shall  run  and  not  be  weary,  they  shall  walk 
and  not  faint";  and,  "the  beauty  of  the  Lord  their 
God  shall  be  upon  them." 

This  is  the  Strength,  and  this  the  Beauty,  I  de- 
sire for  you.  In  your  characters,  may  they  be 
blended,  and  in  all  the  pilgrimage  of  life  that  is 
now  before  you,  may  you  be  guided  with  strength 
from  on  high,  and  may  the  beauty  of  the  Lord 
your  God  be  upon  you. 


July  21. 

MILLS  COLLEGE  is  very  near  my  heart.     And 
dear  Mrs.  Mills!  her  memory  or  rather  the 
memory   of    her  noble  life    and   wonderful 
personality  will  never  leave  me. 

As  I  think  of  it  now,  she  had  so  many  gifts  that 
it  is  not  easy  to  place  the  emphasis  on  a  few. 

To  me,  her  sweet  spirit  of  sympathy  was  very 
beautiful.  Her  heart  was  open  and  her  hand  out- 
stretched to  anyone  in  need,  be  that  need  a  physical 
or  a  moral  one. 

A  little  child  told  me,  a  few  days  ago,  a  good 
meaning  of  forgiveness:  "To  forget  all  about  it 
and  love  me  just  the  same."  It  seems  to  me  that 
Mrs.  Mills  had  much  of  this  spirit. 

The  trouble  with  most  of  us,  dear  friend,  is  that 
we  don't  "forget  all  about  it,"  and  isn't  that  just 
what  we  should  do? 


July  22. 

rTHHE  Mills  hospitality  caught  the  spirit  from 
ita  founder,  and  how  hospitable  she  was! 
Every  one  was  welcome  and  truly  so. 

I  could  write  on  and  on,  of  so  many  things;  her 
pleasure  in  hearing  good  news  of  her  girls,  and  her 
joy  in  their  success  and  happiness. 

These  are  evidences  of  a  great  soul. 


"When  peace  and    joy  are  in  the  Lord,  outward 
conditions  are  powerless  to  permanently  injure. 

It  is  clever  to  bury  an  old  animosity,  but  not  just 
the  thing  to  put  a  tombstone  over  it. 

Hath    any   one    wronged    theef     Be    bravely   re- 
venged. 

By  neglecting  and  slighting  it,  the  work  is  begun. 

Forgive  and  absolve  it,  and  it  is  finished. 

He  is  below  himself  who  is  not  above  an  injury." 


Yours  is  the  rare  privilege  of  seeing  in  this 
world,  the  large  and  splendid  fruition  of  a  long  life 

nobly   given   to   the   highest   ends 

— Henry  Hopkins,  Williams  College. 

We  are  not  seeking  to  "do  you  honor";  you  your- 
self have  "done"  that.  It  is  for  us  to  honor  our- 
selves in  telling  you  in  these  simple  ways  somewhat 
of  the  respect  and  affection  you  have  won.  .  .  . 
Your  life  is  an  inspiration  to  all  who  know  you. 
— George  A.  Gates,  President  Pomona  College. 


July  23. 

IN  May,  1909,  Mrs.  Mills  resigned  the  Presidency 
of  Mills  College,  which  position  she  had  held  so 
long  and  ably,  in    favor  of    Dr.   Luella    Clay 
Carson,  Dean  of  Women  and  Professor  of  Literature 
at  the  State  University  at  Eugene,  Oregon. 

The  honorary  title  of  President  Emeritus  was 
bestowed  upon  Mrs.  Susan  Lincoln  Mills.  December 
10,  1909. 

The  name  of  Mrs.  Mills  was  unanimously  voted 
to  a  leading  place  on  the  Honorary  Eoll  of  the 
Native  Daughters  of  the  Golden  West. 

On  this  roll  are  placed,  by  election,  the  names 
of  those  fine  woman,  -not  native  to  California,  who 
have  achieved  much  in  behalf  of  this  wonderful 
State. 


Mrs.  Mills  was  the  first  woman  in  California  to 
be  enrolled  in  the  Carnegie  Pension  Fund  fellow- 
ship. 


Mt.  Holyoke,  her  Alma  Mater,  some  years  ago 
conferred  upon  Mrs.  Mills  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Literature.  She  was  the  first  to  receive  this  degree 
of  honor  from  Mt.  Holyoke. 


On  her  eighty-seventh  birthday,  she  received  a 
birthday  greeting  in  the  form  of  a  telegram,  which 
conveyed  the  further  message  that  the  California 
Branch  of  Collegiate  Alumnae  had  elected  her  an 
honorary  member  of  their  Association. 


July  24. 

AMONG  the  things  at  Mills  College  which  par- 
ticularly interested  me,  is  Mrs.  Mills'  large 
collection  of  tea-pots.     There  is  such  a  va- 
riety, and  some  of  them  have  such  strange  histories. 

Mrs.  Mills  called  the  collection  of  tea-pots  "her 
one  fad. ' '  It  was  a  delightful  one  for  the  Alumnae, 
too,  for  whenever  we  took  a  short  trip  anywhere 
or  any  of  the  girls  went  to  Europe  or  elsewhere 
abroad,  it  was  a  pleasure  to  look  for  a  small  tea-pot 
to  bring  back  to  Mrs.  Mills,  and  a  real  joy  to  her 
to  receive  it. 

She  expected  to  stop  collecting  when  she  received 
the  two  hundredth,  but  the  collection  now  numbers 
eight  hundred. 

While  working  in  the  studio  with  Mrs.  Julia 
Mann,  I  borrowed  some  of  these  precious  tea-pots, 
and  drew  them  in  charcoal  and  then  made  a  pen- 
and-ink  sketch. 

Some  of  her  Virginia  creeper  vine  arranged  about 
the  tea-pots  made  a  very  effective  study;  the  idea 
pleased  Mrs.  Mills  exceedingly. 

How  proud  she  was  of  the  beautiful  Eose  Porch, 
and  how  she  enjoyed  showing  it  to  Easterners!  It 
was  always  so  wonderful  to  these  visitors. 

"No  loud  voices,  girls";  "Young  ladies,  you 
should  be  in  a  horizontal  position  when  the  lights 
go  out."  "Be  dutiful  daughters  always.  You  owe 
much  to  your  parents.  Show  them  you  appreciate 
your  opportunities." 

How  she  inculcated  the  sense  of  "honor"!  We 
girls  must  be  trust-worthy;  we  must,  above  all 
things,  be  reliable  in  whatever  we  undertook.  Those 
splendid  qualities  she  almost  drilled  into  us,  and,  oh, 
how  much  they  mean  to  us  now  and  will  forever! 


July  25. 


SARAH  HOWE  TOLMAX. 

Born  1753;   died  1822. 
Mrs.   Mills'    Paternal   Grandmother. 

He  that  keepeth  his  commandments  dwelleth  in  him, 
and  he  in  him.  And  hereby  we  know  that  he  abideth  in 
us,  by  the  Spirit  which  he  hath  given  us. — I.  John  3 :24. 


I  was  a  student  at  Mills,  I  was  par- 
tieularly  impressed  with  Mrs.  Mills'  earnest 
endeavor  to  hold  before  her  pupils  the 

thought   of  the  Home.     Her  girls  were  taught  to 

value  home-life  and  be  home-makers. 

Mrs.  Mills  had  the  happy  faculty  of  remembering 
those  who  had  attended  Mills  College,  and  of  keep- 
ing in  touch  with  them,  no  matter  how  many  years 
had  passed;  and  her  great  interest  in  her  young  peo- 
ple and  in  her  College,  helped  to  keep  her  young. 

Somehow  one  never  thought  of  Mrs.  Mills  as  being 
nearly  so  old  as  her  years  would  denote. 

Only  a  few  years  before  she  passed  away,  she 
said  to  me,  "I  will  die  young,  for  I  keep  myself 
young. ' ' 


July  26. 

IN   the   early    '60s   in   Benicia,   when   Mrs.   Mills 
delivered   an  address  on  India  and  her  exper- 
iences   there,    I    thought,    What     a     wonderful 
woman  to  have  traveled  such  an  inconceivable  dis- 
tance. 

She  showed  us  a  tiny  pair  of  shoes  worn  by  some 
native,  also  a  sort  of  robe,  and  we  little  girls  were 
simply  awed  by  what  she  showed  and  told  us. 


Mrs.  Mills:  truly  a  remarkable  woman!  Child- 
less yet  mother  to  hundreds  of  girls,  and  just  as 
really  so  as  if  they  had  been  born  to  her.  Her 
great  heart  held  them  all  close,  and  the  ear  of  her 
soul  was  ever  listening  for  messages  from  those 
so  dear  to  her. 

A  decade  might  intervene  between  visits  to  the 
old  home  (the  Alma  Mater),  as  it  did  once  in  my 
own  case,  and  yet  the  dear  little  lady  could  call 
me  by  my  school-girl  name,  and  by  my  husband's 
name,  too,  and  was  just  as  much  interested  in  my 
interests  as  she  might  be  had  I  made  weekly  visits 
to  her;  and  it  was  just  the  same  with  all  her  girls. 
Indeed,  the  close  knowledge  she  had  of  the  hun- 
dreds scattered  over  the  whole  earth  was  one  of 
her  most  wonderful  traits. 

Let  anything  come  into  the  life  of  any  one  of 
us,  and  that  one  would,  immediately  upon  knowl- 
edge of  it  reaching  Mrs.  Mills,  receive  her  word  of 
blessing  or  of  sympathy,  and  a  prayer  for  God's 
guidance  for  her  and  hers. 

Her  faith  in  God  was  as  strong  as  Gibraltar. 
Nothing  could  shake  it.  She  looked  to  Him  for 
strength  and  direction  all  through  her  busy  life, 
and,  who  can  say  that  it  ever  failed  her? 

Surely,  the  hand  of  God  was  with  her  as  she 
laid  one  block  upon  another  until  a  College  for  the 
young  women  of  the  Pacific  Coast  was  builded 
strong  and  sure.  A  monument  to  a  noble  woman 
who  had  the  blessing  of  beholding  with  mortal  eyes 
the  accomplishment  of  what  she  and  her  husband 
had  planned.  She  once  told  our  class  that  her 
favorite  Bible  passage  was  Philippians  4:6. 


July  27. 

WHEN  I  WAS  A  GIRL  AT  MILLS. 


"When  I  was  a  girl  at  Mills!" 
How  strongly  memory  thrills 

The  cords  of  my  heart 

As  I  think  of  the  part 
Of  my  life  that  was  spent  at  Mills. 

When  I  was  a  girl  at  Mills, 
It  cuddled  among  bare  hills, 

Scarce  a  tree  to  be  seen — 

Just  a  lawn  between 
Those  two  little  babbling  rills. 

Now  a  forest  of  beautiful  trees 
Covers  the  hillsides  and  leas; 

There  are  paths  to  explore, 

And  gardens  galore 
Where  one  may  wander  at  ease. 

When  I  was  a  girl  at  Mills, 
The  clambering  rose  that  fills 

Its  whole  front  face, 

Filled  no  such  place 
When  I  was  a  girl  at  Mills. 

Now  clambering  so  very  high 
It  almost  touches  the  sky, 

And  veils  the  wall 

Of  old  Mills  Hall 
With  a  glory  for  every  eye. 

When  I  was  a  girl  at  Mills, 
One  roof  covered  all  the  ills 

As  well  as  the  good 

Of  the  girlish  brood, 
When  I  was  a  girl  at  Mills. 

Now  buildings  are  every  where, 
They  gleam  in  the  shadowy  air, 

With  Halls,  and  Towers 

That  chime  the  hours — 
A  lingering  music  there. 


July  28. 


When  I  was  a  girl  at  Mills, 

It  was  just  a  school  in  the  hills, 

Where  big  girls,  a  few, 

And  little  girls,  too, 
All  studied  together  at  Mills. 

Now  its  standard  has  risen  so  fast 
It's  wholly  a  college  at  last; 

Nothing  less  than  A.  B. 

And  a  Master's  Degree! 
The  Seminary  time  has  past! 

When  I  was  a  girl  at  Mills, 

A  presence  was  there,  which  fills 

My  eyelids  with  tears 

As  I  think  of  the  years 
When  I  knew  and  revered  Mr.  Mills. 

How  blessed  his  memory  seems! 
Now  realized  are  his  dreams, 

For  to  them  his  wife 

Devoted  her  life, 
Completing  his  generous  schemes. 

So  dearly  belov'd  Mrs.  Mills 
Today  with  happiness  thrills; 

Her  work  is  complete 

For  here  at  her  feet 
Stands  a  College  for  Women  at  Mills. 

May  the  College  now  prosper  at  Mills, 
And  grow  with  the  need  that  it  fills, 

Till  girls,  far  and  wide, 

Shall  utter  with  pride 
"When  I  was  a  girl  at  Mills!" 

—FANNIE  ROUSE  CARPENTER,    '73. 

Bead  by  Daisy  Kimball  Adams, 
Founder's  Day,  May  4,  1911. 


July  29. 

IT  is  repeatedly  brought  to  my  thought  so  strongly, 
the  deep  interest  of  Mrs.  Mills  in  her  girls  at 
all   times.     Especially,   do   I  always   recall   her 
ever-ready  sympathy  and  interest  in  every  detail. 
I  can  truly  say  that  one  of  the  greatest  blessings 
in  my  life  has  been  my  friendship  with  Mrs.  Mills. 

After  I  was  graduated,  from  the  Department  of 
Home  Economics  in  May,  1910,  it  was  my  privilege 
to  remain  at  the  College  a  month,  in  order  to  pre- 
pare a  course  in  my  work,  to  be  given  in  San 
Francisco  that  July.  During  that  time,  I  had  many 
delightful  and  intimate  visits  with  Mrs.  Mills. 
She  told  me  so  much  of  her  parents,  of  Mr.  Mills, 
and  of  her  Mt.  Holyoke  days.  I  cherish  as  one  of 
my  sweetest  memories  that  in  those  weeks  she  often 
said  to  me:  "You  seem,  child,  just  like  a  daugh- 
ter to  me."  The  secret  of  her  power,  to  me,  was 
the  great  trust  she  placed  in  one's  ability.  After 
she  had  written  me  a  beautiful  note  of  recommen- 
dation for  teaching,  I  just  was  filled  with  inspira- 
tion, and  knew  I  could  not  fail  to  make  my  work 
worth  while  because  of  her  implicit  faith  in  me. 

Her  little  talks  at  evening  prayers  before  we 
gave  a  "Prom,"  were  so  clever — especially  her  ad- 
vice on  our  dress,  etiquette,  modesty,  and  conduct 
generally,  with  the  young  men. 

Her  evening  prayers  were  the  finest  I  have  ever 
heard.  How  we  girls  marvelled  at  her  Bible  quo- 
tations which  were  so  fluent.  In  every  letter  she 
wrote  me,  there  is  some  reference  to  her  wonderful 
trust  in  the  Divine  Guidance  and  Direction. 


July  30. 

TO  show  Mrs.  Mills'  personal  care  for  her  girls, 
I  recall  a  very  humorous  incident: 

Emma  C and  I  had  worked  all  day  in 

our  gym  suits  decorating  Lisser  Hall  for  a  Delta 
dance,  and  not  being  through  when  the  dinner-bell 
rang,  we  worked  on,  for  the  dance  was  that  evening. 
We  had  to  get  it  done  and  get  dressed  for  the 
party,  dinner  or  no  dinner. 

After  our  task  was  completed,  we  hurried  through 
the  kitchen  yard  and  asked  Wo  for  a  piece  of  bread 
and  butter.  The  Chinese  boys  told  us  to  sit  down 
on  the  back  porch. 

There  happened  to  be  a  dinner  party  in  the 
small  dining-room,  and  we  were  fed  very  generously 
of  the  good  things  that  were  left. 

Meanwhile,  Mrs.  Mills  missed  us  and  had  sent 
for  us,  fearing  we  had  worked  too  hard  and  would 
go  to  the  dance  hungry. 

When  we  said  we  were  not  hungry,  she  said,  "My 
dears,  you  can  surely  eat  a  little  soup,"  and  then 
told  Yang  to  bring  us  some.  She  stayed  with  us, 
visiting,  so  we  had  to  eat.  We  didn't  say  any- 
thing for  fear  of  getting  the  Chinese  boys  into 
trouble,  but  I  can  tell  you  that  Yang's  face  was 
a  study  when  he  saw  us  begin  to  eat  "all  over 
again. ' ' 


July  31. 

MY  first  acquaintance  with  my  old  and  esteemed 
friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills,  began  in  1867, 
over  forty-eight  years   ago,  when  I  placed 
my  little  daughter,  Katie,  in  their  care. 

The  school  was  then  in  Benicia.  As  I  placed  the 
tuition  fee  for  the  first  quarter  (four  gold  twenties) 
on  the  table,  I  said:  "Dr.  Mills,  this  is  the  begin- 
ning of  a  long  and  expensive  course.  My  one  wish 
is  that  you  make  my  daughter  a  good  Christian 
woman;  all  the  rest  I  leave  with  you,  as  I  expect 
to  leave  her  with  you  (God  being  willing)  until  her 
education  is  complete. ' '  He  took  my  hand  and 
said:  "I  will."  And  well  he  kept  his  promise. 

I  believe  Heaven  has  no  brighter  angel  than  this 
"little  Kitty,"  as  she  was  called  at  the  school. 

To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  I  am  greatly  indebted. 
There  are  things  in  one's  life  for  which  money 
cannot  pay.  Katie  was  with  them  ten  years,  gradu- 
ating in  the  class  with  Emma  Wixom  "Nevada," 
Lillian  Mygatt  Sharon,  Emma  Garretson,  and  others 
now  well  known;  and  splendid  women  all. 

After  the  novelty  of  the  school  wore  off,  she 
became  very  homesick.  Mrs.  Mills  would  coax  her 
with  candy  or  fruit,  and  in  many  ways  try  to 
reconcile  her,  all  to  no  avail.  Then  with  her  kind 
heart,  suggested  that  I  take  Katie  home  for  awhile. 
Incensed  at  the  idea,  I  replied:  "Do  you  wish  me 
to  spoil  my  child?  Her  father  would  be  fearfully 
angry  if  I  took  her  home"  I  stamped  my  foot  as 
I  spoke,  and  to  my  surprise,  Mrs.  Mills  laughed, 
then  said:  "You  are  one  mother  in  a  thousand." 

Many  mothers  may  wonder  at  our  sending  our 
little  girl  away  so  young.  It  was  not  altogether  for 
her  education,  for  she  was  at  the  time  a  very  good 
scholar  for  her  age,  but  it  was  that  she  might  be 
surrounded  by  refining  influences.  Living  on  a  large 
ranch,  we  had  to  employ  a  good  deal  of  help,  many 
of  whom  were  not  very  choice  in  their  language, 
and  I  believe  that  we  form  our  characters  before 
we  are  twelve  years  of  age. 

And  now,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  have  her  again, 
while  her  body  rests  at  Evergreen  not  far  from 
Sunnyside,  and  within  sound  of  the  beautiful 
chimes  of  the  school  home  she  loved  so  well. 


M 


BS.  MILLS  was  interested  in  all  the  sensible, 
progressive  movements  of  the  times,  and 
was  identified  with  those  really  helpful. 

She  was  a  member  of  various  associations,  socie- 
ties and  clubs,  among  them 

The  National  Geographical  Society. 

The  National  Educational  Association. 

Forum  Club,  San  Francisco. 

California  Club,  San  Francisco. 

Sorosis  Club,  San  Francisco. 

Sequoia  Chapter,  D.  A.  E.  (Past  Regent). 

Town  and  Gown  Club,  Berkeley.     (Honorary). 

Susan  Lincoln  Mills'  Auxiliary  of  Joseph  McCort 
Camp,  U.  S.  W.  V.,  Berkeley,  named  in  her  honor. 
(Honorary). 

Mills  Club.     (Honorary). 

Pacific  Coast  Woman's  Press  Association.  (Hon- 
orary). 

Oakland  Ebell. 

Home  Club  of  Oakland. 

California  Branch  of  Associated  Collegiate 
Alumnae.  (Honorary). 

Woman's  Occidental  Board  Foreign  Missions 
(Life  Member),  and  other  Missionary  Associations. 

President  of  the  Tolman  Band  of  Mills  College 
for  over  thirty-five  years. 


August  1. 

The  School  was  removed  to  Seminary  Park,  1871. 
From  a  newspaper,  printed  in  1871. 

IT  was  meet  and  fitting,  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills 
with  their  large  knowledge  and  long  experience 
extending  over  twenty  years  of  educational  ef- 
fort, and  whose  skill  and  adaptiveness  have  been 
witnessed  to  by  a  brilliant  and  uniform  success — 
should    crown    their    life-work    by    establishing    a 
permanent   and   suitable   institution   for  that  style 
of  education  of  women  for  which  they  have  done 
so  much. 

It  was  the  prompting  of  a  large  benevolence, 
rising  far  above  mere  personal  or  pecuniary  con- 
siderations, and  taking  in  view  the  highest  good  of 
this  growing  State,  that  led  to  the  conception  of 
this  enterprise,  now  about  completed. 

And  it  has  been  nobly  seconded  by  the  friends 
of  education  on  this  coast,  who  insisted,  too,  that 
the  new  school  should  bear  the  name  of  its  founders 
whose  energy  and  foresight  have  transplanted  the 
work  to  the  new  and  commodious  location  at  Sem- 
inary Park,  Brooklyn. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  objected  to  their  name  being 
attached  to  that  of  the  new  school,  and  with  becom- 
ing modestly  chose  Alderwood  instead,  suggested  by 
the  beautiful  alder  trees  along  the  banks  of  the 
nearby  stream.  These  friends,  however,  insisted 
upon  Mills  Seminary,  so  Mills  Seminary  it  is  called, 
and  as  such  it  will  be  known. 


August  2. 

HEE  desire  for  her  girls  to  be  good  home-makers 
was  ever  portrayed  in  her  ideals  for  womanly 
Christian  women.     The  grief  of  her  life,  she 
told  me,  was  that  she  had  never  been  a  mother,  and 
tho  I  reminded  her  how  much  of  a  mother  she  had 
been   to  me  and  to  thousands  of  others,  she  said, 
looking  fondly  at  my  little  son:     "I  am  so  glad 
you  have  this  fine  little  boy,"  and  turning  to  him 
and    laying    her    hand    upon    his    head,    she    asked 
heaven's  blessing  upon  him. 

These  references  are  to  favorite  Scripture  pass- 
ages, loved  all  my  life  thro'  Mrs.  Mills'  frequent 
use,  teaching,  and  application  to  our  school  and 
home  problems,  in  fact,  to  everything  concerning 
life: 

Proverbs:     1:7       3:5-6       4:17-18       8:11 

20:1     21:9        22:1  31:10-31 

Verses  25-31  of  Proverbs  31  are  especially  appro- 
priate to  Mrs.  Mills. 

The  Book  of  Psalms  was  her  favorite  book  of  the 
Bible,  the  91st  her  favorite  Psalm. 

Psalms,  Chapters  1,  8,  23,  24,  25,  91,  42,  43,  103, 
121,  139;  27:  14;  19:  1,  2,  7,  13,  14;  46:  1,  2;  51:  10, 
11,15. 

Isaiah  40,  55,  58:  13,  14;  60:  1. 


For  New  Testament  references  see  October  30. 


T 


August  3. 

Toast:  to 

"Mrs.  Mills" 

on  her  84th  Birthday. 

HEEE  is  a  chapter  in  that  old  volume  dear  to 
us,  which,  before  all  others,  comes  to  mind 
in  thinking  of  her  whom  we  honor  today. 

It  is  the  chapter  for  those  to  whom  God  has  given 
great  mother  hearts,  yet  denied  the  gift  of  children. 

It  does  not  speak  of  comfort  for  wordless  human 
pain.  It  is  something  Diviner  than  that.  Its 
message  is  for  the  soul  that  can  forget  itself  and 
its  human  longing,  and  enter  into  the  larger  purpose 
of  God  for  its  life. 

Therefore,  it  is  a  chapter  of  joy  and  of  vision. 

"Sing,  oh,  thou  desolate  heart! 
Break  forth  into  singing  and  cry  aloud, 
For  more  shall  be  thy  children 
Than  of  the  mother  beside  thee, 
Saith  Jehovah. 

"Enlarge    the    place    of    thy    tent,    and    let    them 
stretch    forth    the    curtains    of   thy   habi 
tation. 
Spare  not!     Lengthen  thy  cords, 

Strengthen  thy  stakes, 

For  thou  shalt  overflow  upon  the  right  hand  and 
upon  the  left." 


H 


August  4. 

OW  "large"  has  the  place  of  thy  habitation 
been  made,  dear  Mrs.  Mills! 

Sons  from  the  Islands  of  the  sea, 

Daughters  from  this  wide  western  coast 

Not  one  family,  but  many, 

Not  one  generation  of  daughters 

But  two  score  generations,  with  their 

Children  and  grand-children, 

To  fill  your  heart  with  rejoicing,  today. 

It  has  been  a  "motherhood"  so  abundant  that 
only  the  eternal  years  will  reveal  all  its  blessed- 
ness. 

I  doubt  not  these  anniversary  days  are  times  of 
recollection  for  our  beloved  and  honored  mother, 
wherein  memory  goes  gleaning  thro'  the  harvested 
fields  of  the  past. 

It  is  sixty  years  since  the  active  years  of  her 
busy  life  began;  forty-five  since  she  came  to  this 
coast;  twenty-five  since  she  was  left  to  bear  alone 
the  heavy  burden  of  care,  responsibility,  and  lead- 
ership that  devolved  upon  her. 

Perhaps  she  feels  that  she  alone  knows  the  true 
utory  of  these  years.  And  no  one  can  know  as  she 
does  the  heart  loneliness,  the  frequent  discourage- 
ment, the  financial  care,  the  brave  courage  needed, 
the  victories  and  the  joy. 

These  are  her  sacred  possession. 

(Taken  to  August  9) 


August  5. 

'  Were  there  nothing  else 

For  which  to  praise  the  Heavens  but  only  love, 
That  only  love  were  cause  enough  to  praise. ' ' 

Be  kindly  affeetioned  one  to  another  with  brotherly  love; 
in   honor   preferring   one   another. — Romans    12:10. 

ER  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures  always 
enabled  Mrs.  Mills  to  give  the  word  in  sea- 
son. 


H 


What  simplicity  and  deep  wisdom  in  the  utter- 
ances, and  how  beautiful  the  qualities  of  gentleness, 
kindness,  and  charity! 

The  tenderness  of  her  great  motherly  heart  will 
live  forever  in  the  hearts  of  the  girls  in  the  count- 
less homes  where  her  influence  has  been  felt,  thus 
making  womanhood  sweeter. 

She  was  always  the  gracious  mother  to  her  girls, 
and  though  widely  scattered  over  the  United  States, 
every  day  we  yet  think  of  the  old  home,  made  for- 
ever dear  to  us  by  the  loving  ministrations  of  her 
who  has  gone  to  her  heavenly  home. 


August  6. 

ONE   of   the   greatest   lessons   I    learned    from 
Mrs.  Mills  was  the  value  of  education.    Over 
and  over  again,  she  said  that  the  real  value 
of  our  education  was  to  make  us  appreciate  oppor- 
tunities, and  to  take  advantage  of  them.   She  would 
tell  us  how  grateful  she  had  been  for  having  been 
able   to   recognize   events  that   had   come   into   her 
life    as    "opportunities,"    and    to    appreciate   their 
value.     This  lesson  comes  to  me  many  times. 

Oh!  her  wonderful  endurance!  Do  you  remember 
the  day  Mr.  Burbank  visited  the  College!  Mrs.  Mills 
had  taken  him  all  over  the  grounds,  at  least  he 
thought  she  had  when  he  came  into  the  Faculty 
Boom  with  a  look  of  despair  on  his  face;  and  he 
said,  "I've  been  following  Mrs.  Mills  all  morning. 
We've  been  from  one  end  of  the  grounds  to  the 
other,  and  I  'm  so  tired  I  don 't  know  what  to  do. ' ' 
Just  then  Mrs.  Mills  appeared  at  the  door  with  her 
little  scarf  over  her  head,  and  said  there  was  some- 
thing she  had  forgotten  to  show  him.  If  I  remem- 
ber rightly,  he  went.  She  was  never  tired. 

Her  lovely  sense  of  humor!  I  never  expect  to 
meet  any  one  who  can  even  compare  with  her  in  this 
respect.  Those  dark,  gloomy  winter  afternoons  at 
"five  o'clock  tea,"  when  some  of  us — Freshmen  at 
least — weren  't  feeling  too  happy,  we  saw  the  real 
Mrs.  Mills.  Perhaps  it  was  some  choice  article 
from  the  unmarked  clothes,  to  be  indentified — what- 
ever it  was,  just  a  word  and  a  side-long  look  at  the 
garment  held  up  for  inspection,  and  that  great  room 
full  of  girls  was  in  peals  of  laughter — every  one 
sitting  on  the  edge  of  her  chair,  that  she  might  not 
miss  a  word.  Then,  just  a  tap  of  the  bell,  and  a 
straightening  of  Mrs.  Mills'  shoulders;  we  knew 
the  bounds  and  were  quiet  at  once. 

(See  August  28) 


August  7. 

SHE  was  always  so  unaffected  and  so  lovable. 
On   one    occasion    she   attended   a   luncheon 
at  my  home  when  some  teaspoons  had  to  be 
washed  for  the  last  course. 

After  a  few  days,  I  received  from  Shreve's  two 
solid  silver  teaspoons  marked,  one  for  me  and  one 
for  '  my  dear  husband. '  They  were  from  Mrs.  Mills. 


Mrs.  Mills  often  expressed  appreciation  of  the 
early  training  she  had  received  as  to  her  attitude 
toward  the  Sabbath. 

It  pained  her  to  have  her  girls  study  or  be  unduly 
noisy  on  Sunday. 

She  greatly  enjoyed  seeing  the  girls  on  the  green 
lawn  Sunday  afternoons,  and  had  the  gardener  re- 
frain from  watering  it  on  Saturdays  that  the  grass 
might  not  be  damp. 

She  had  us  memorize  and  often  repeat  this  selec- 
tion from  Isaiah: 

If  thou  turn  away  thy  foot  from  the  Sabbath,  from 
doing  thy  pleasure  on  my  holy  day;  and  call  the  Sabbath 
a  delight,  the  holy  of  the  Lord,  honorable ;  and  shalt  honour 
him,  not  doing  thine  own  ways,  nor  finding  thine  own 
pleasure,  nor  speaking  thine  own  words; 

Then  shalt  thou  delight  thyself  in  the  Lord;  and  I  will 
cause  thee  to  ride  upon  the  high  places  of  the  earth,  and 
feed  thee  with  the  heritage  of  Jacob  thy  father;  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it. — Isaiah  58:13,  14. 


August  8. 

DEAE  Mrs.  Mills!     I  shall  always  think  of  her 
as  a  mother  to  us  all.     Her  wonderful  char- 
acter and  influence  are  impressed  upon  our 
minds  forever. 

Words  fail  to  express  my  appreciation  that  I  was 
privileged  to  spend  so  many  years  with  her. 

Our  loss  in  having  Mrs.  Mills  no  longer  with  us 
is  personally  felt  by  the  multitude  of  girls  who 
have  gone  out  from  Mills  College  for,  "to  know  her 
was  to  love  her." 

The  world  is  greatly  indebted  to  her  untiring 
efforts  to  make  it  better. 


A  great  character,  the  power  and  force  of  whose 
personality  not  only  impressed  itself  upon  all  who 
were  privileged  to  be  under  its  influence,  but  con- 
tinually urged  them  to  higher  and  better  things. 

Mrs.  Mills  made  us  strong  women. 


August  9. 

"A  Toast"  to  Mrs.  Mills. 
(From  August  4) 

YET    there    is    a    true    part    of    every   life-story 
which  is  in  the  keeping  of  others. 

As  we  go  out  to  those  about  us  in  love,  in 
service,  in  sympathy,  in  prayer — our  life  passes 
into  their  lives  in  ways  of  which  we  have  here 
little  knowledge,  hidden  as  it  is  by  the  veil  of  the 
flesh. 

It  is  the  marvel  of  marvels,  this  larger  life  of 
each  one  of  us,  this  life-in-other-lives. 

There  is  no  one  of  us  here  today  who  does  not 
have  in  her  keeping  some  real  part  of  Mrs.  Mills' 
life — some  memory  of  counsel  and  admonition  that 
bore  fruit  of  wisdom  in  us;  some  gratitude  for  great 
kindness  that  has  begotten  thoughtfulness  toward 
others;  some  impulse  toward  faithfulness  in  little 
things,  some  heightened  sense  of  the  responsibility 
we  hold  in  these  lives  of  ours.  » 

We  would  unite  today,  dear  Mrs.  Mills,  to  bring, 
one  after  another,  our  grateful  testimony  to  the 
hidden  beauty  and  graciousness  of  this  your  "life 
within-our-lives,"  your  memory  in  our  hearts. 

I  am  more  and  more  sure  that  the  richest  part 
of  any  life  is  not  what  we  call  its  "work,"  its 
"achievement,"  great  as  these  may  be;  but  rather 
its  long,  varied,  complex,  beautiful  human  relation- 
ship which  is  part  of  the  eternal  life  and  so  abides. 


August  10. 

WHILE  thus  we  are  speaking  from  the  heart 
of  our  daughterly  feeling,  of  our  grateful 
memories — we  do  not  forget  today  how  full 
of  achievement  and  honor  Mrs.  Mills'  life  has  been. 

She  has  seen  the  school  she  loved  grown  to  full 
College  stature,  forwarding  its  advancement  with 
liberality  of  sympathy.  Her  able  financial  admin- 
istration of  its  resources  has  been  rewarded  by  gifts 
from  members  of  its  Board  of  Trustees  and  others, 
so  that  its  endowment  now  reaches  half  a  million, 
no  small  part  of  which  is  derived  from  the  fortune 
of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mills. 

The  College  has  met  with  recognition  from  col- 
leges and  universities.  The  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws  has  been  bestowed  upon  Mrs.  Mills — a  degree 
borne  by  less  than  a  score  of  women.  These  are 
some  of  the  honors  of  which  we  are  proud  today. 

My  thoughts  go  back  to  the  chapter  with  which 
I  began: 

"Behold  I  will  lay  thy  foundations  in  fair  colors, 
I  will  make  thy  windows  of  rubies, 

Thy  gates  of  carbuncles, 

All  thy  borders  of  precious  stones, 
And  great  shall  be  the  peace  of  thy  children." 

"Windows  of  rubies"!  "gates  of  carbuncles"! 
every  prospect  fair  and  beautiful  with  color. 

Can  we  not  see  in  these  glowing  jewels  of  Orien- 
tal imagery,  the  very  glory  of  her  westering  skyt 


August  11. 

ONE  source  of  her  strength  was  her  indomitable 
optimism.     The  women  who  worked  with  her 
felt  its  contagion,  and  were  grateful  for  its 
support.      It   kept   the    atmosphere    of   the    College 
healthful. 

It  was  a  piece  of  high  praise  when  she  said,  one 
day  to  a  young  faculty  member:  "I  thank  you 
for  your  cheerfulness." 


When  speaking  of  Mrs.  Mills'  enthusiasm  and 
the  spirit  in  which  she  entered  into  the  College  life, 
her  girls  of  '03  used  to  love  to  tell  the  story  of  a 
basketball  game,  played  on  the  Berkeley  field 
between  the  Mills  and  Berkeley  teams.  Those  ac- 
companying the  contestants  had  been  admonished 
by  Mrs.  Mills  to  conduct  themselves  in  a  dignified, 
lady-like  manner  during  the  game. 

The  teams  were  well  matched,  and  the  game  was 
sharply  contested  from  start  to  finish.  Both  sides 
seemed  to  feel  that  much  was  at  stake. 

There  was  some  exceptionally  fine  team  work 
done  by  Mills.  Misses  Gardiner  and  Makee,  centers, 
made  brilliant  plays,  and  the  work  of  Miss  Costa, 
basket,  and  the  defense  of  Misses  Holmes  and 
Dowsett  did  Mills  credit. 

Horns  blew,  bells  rang  at  every  possible  excuse. 

.  .  .  Excitement  was  riot!  Suddenly,  as  the 
whistle  blew  announcing  the  close  of  the  game  and 
the  victory  for  Mills,  Mrs.  Mills  sprang  to  her  feet, 
fairly  ran  out  on  the  field,  embraced  the  Mills  cap- 
tain, and  taking  the  dusty  ball  out  of  the  captain's 
hands,  Mrs.  Mills  carried  it  across  the  field  herself, 
as  she  escorted  the  victorious  captain  back  to  the 
waiting  girls. 

The  victory  was  a  big  one,  meaning  the  cham- 
pionship of  the  Western  League,  a  silver  cup,  and 
a  new  basketball.  Mrs.  Mills  was  77  at  the  time 
of  this  game. 


A 


August  12. 

S  I  was  a  student  at  Mills  only  one  year,  I  do 
not  feel  that  I  knew  Mrs.  Mills  as  well  as 
some  of  the  girls  who  were  there  longer. 

But  I  kept  a  diary  all  the  time  I  was  there,  and 
have  selected  a  couple  of  extracts  from  it  for  your 
Year  Book. 

It  is,  indeed,  a  pleasure  to  contribute  even  this 
small  amount  toward  a  book  that  is  prepared  in 
her  memory. 

Extracts  from  my  diary: 
Had  breakfast  in  bed. 

Mrs.  Mills  came  in  to  see  what  was  the  matter, 
and  when  I  told  her  that  I  had  a  "terrible  cold," 
she  said: 

"It  isn't  terrible;  it  isn't  like  an  avalanche." 

Esther  and  I  had  one  of  those  forbidden  candles 
lighted,  after  the  lights  had  gone  out,  and  Mrs.  Mills 
came  into  our  corridor. 

Of  course  she  saw  it,  and  came  into  the  room. 
"What  are  you  doing  with  that  light?"  We  both 
stammered,  and  did  not  answer.  "What  would 
the  Insurance  man  sayf " 

Dear,  funny  Mrs.  Mills,  how  we  all  love  her  even 
when  she  scolds  us! 


August  13. 

TO  attempt  to  express  fully  what  a  helpful  factor 
Mrs.  Mills  has  been  in  my  life  would  be  an 
utter  impossibility.     Memories  of  her  and  of 
her   teachings   are    among    my   dearest   possessions, 
something  of  which  neither  the  greatest  riches  nor 
the  meanest  poverty  can  ever  rob  me. 

She  was  one  of  the  most  noble,  lovable  charac- 
ters I  have  ever  known,  or  ever  expect  to  know — 
a  wonderful  woman;  and  every  day  I  am  more 
thankful  that  I  had  the  privilege  of  spending  four 
years  at  Mills  while  she  was  there. 

Her  understanding  of  human  nature  was  remark- 
able; no  matter  what  the  trouble,  she  was  able  to 
comfort  and  cheer  those  about  her.  Her  optimism, 
her  kindly  humor,  her  tact,  her  wisdom,  her  broad- 
minded  teachings,  her  Christian  spirit  with  which 
so  many  lives  came  in  contact,  made  her  dearly 
beloved  and  her  influence  widespread.  No  one  ever 
knew  her,  but  that  their  lives  were  sweetened  and 
inspired  to  higher  ideals. 

Her  life  was  devoted  to  bringing  young  girls  up 
to  magnificent  womanhood.  She  loved  her  work, 
and  loved  to  tell  about  her  many  girls  scattered 
through  all  the  countries  of  the  world  where,  she 
was  certain,  they  were  leading  helpful  Christian 
lives  and  were  a  credit  to  her  teachings  and  their 
College. 


O 


August  14. 

THE   SEA. 

THE  broad  blue  sea, 
It  has  charms  for  me; 
For  I  love  to  stand 
On  its  rim  of  sand, 

And  look  far  off  where  its  great  waves  rise, 
As  if  they  were  mounting  up  into  the  skies; 
Then  see  them  break  into  foamy  spray, 
Leaving  patches  of  snow  as  they  melt  away. 

O  the  broad  blue  aea, 
It  has  charms  for  me; 
For  I  love  to  hear 
Its  music  so  clear, 

When  the  thundering  bass  of  its  breakers  roars, 
As  its  billows  dash  on  the  rock -bound  shores, 
And  the  wavelets  answer  with  melody  sweet, 
As  they  die  on  the  sands  that  lie  at  my  feet. 

O  the  broad  blue  sea, 
It  has  charms  fo*  me; 
For  I  love  to  explore 
The  caves  of  its  shore, 

To  gather  its  mosses  and  pebbles  and  shells, 
To  note  the  rich  bower  where  the  fair  sea-nymph 

dwells; 

While  from  each  living  creature  there  rises  a  call 
To  praise  the  great  Giver  of  life  unto  all. 

O  the  broad  blue  sea, 
It  has  charms  for  me; 
For  I  love  to  dream 
Of  islands  that  seem 

Like  beautiful  regions  far  out  in  the  west, 
Where  frosts  never  blight,  and  all  nature  is  bleat; 
Till  I  long  to  set  sail,  with  the  red  setting  sun, 
And  find  on  their  shores  a  new  life  begun. 

O  the  broad  blue  sea, 
It  has  charms  for  me; 
For  I  love  to  believe 
That  I  yet  shall  perceive 
New  sources  of  power  revealed  by  its  waves, 
New  lessons  of  wisdom  and  life  in  its  caves; 
And  the  voice  of  the  sea  shall  grow  sweeter  each 

day, 
Till  the  voices  of  earth  shall  all  fade  away. 

— JOSIAH  KEEP, 


August  15. 

THE  original  of  this  letter  is  kept  with  a  riding- 
whip  sent  by  the  writer  to  Mrs.  Mills  during 
the  year  before   her  death.     The  letter  and 
whip  were  greatly  cherished.     How  Mrs.  Mills'  eye 
would    sparkle,    and    her    figure    straighten    as    she 
read  about  and  recalled  the  days  of  her  horseback 
rides.     She  felt  even  then  as  though  she  could  get 
on  a  horse  and  gallop  off  with  the  best  of  riders — 
and  it  must  be  a  horse  of  mettle,  too! 


Artemisia, 
231  East  Avenue  Forty-one,  Los  Angeles. 

Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

I've  been  thinking  today  of  how  you  used  to 
ride  horse-back  in  the  days  when  I  first  knew 
"Mills." 

You  were  so  fearless,  and  you  were  such  a  slender 
little  bit  of  a  woman,  it  was  always  a  wonder  to 
me  how  you  could  control  the  horse  that  I  used  to 
see  you  on  sometimes.  I  remember  looking  out  of 
the  window  one  afternoon  (there  weren't  so  many 
trees  then  to  shut  off  the  view  of  things  the  girls 
wanted  to  see),  and  there  you  were  with  a  horse 
that  was  plunging  in  a  most  spirited  and  high- 
strung  way;  and  there  sat  you  .  .  .  just  as  though 
you  were  born  to  the  place — having  "the  time  of 
your  life"  while  he  reared  and  plunged  about! 


August  16. 

AND  then  you  let  him  go — and  it  was  "Go"! 
How  you  did  streak  it  down  that  road,  and 
left    nothing    behind    but    the    dust    and    my 
sighs  of  envy!     You  rode  beautifully,  and  it  was 
always  a  delight  for  me  to  see  you  on  a  horse. 

And  I've  been  thinking  of  my  own  days  in  the 
saddle.  Not  desert  days  that  came  later,  when  I 
rode  three  thousand  miles  a  year,  and  lived  the 
freest,  finest  life  in  the  world,  and  ' '  made  up  my 
stories"  as  I  rode  .  .  .  but  those  days  that  pre- 
ceded them,  when  I  lived  in  San  Francisco,  and 
used  to  ride  across  to  the  Oakland  side,  and  through 
the  hills  that  look  down  on  my  birthplace.  You 
know,  don't  you?  that  I  was  born  just  over  the  hills 
back  of  Joaquin  Miller's!  Two  and  a  half  miles 
from  Lafayette,  in  Moraga  Valley  ...  on  the  old 
Moraga  rancho. 

Those  were  dream  days,  in  the  saddle,  riding  at 
the  edge  of  Lake  Chabot,  or  over  the  "Jack  Hayes 
road,"  or  along  the  foothills  not  so  far  from  the 
College. 


August  17. 

THE  long  ago,  how  far  away  it  seems  to  be! 
But  one  thing  the  years  do  for  us  that  would 
have  been  a  wonder  to  believe  then;  I  used  to 
feel  that  you  were  ages  older  than  I  when  I  went 
there  to  school. 

Yet  today,  it  seems  as  though  you  were  almost 
my  contemporary,  so  many  tucks  has  Time  taken 
in  the  space  between  them. 

We  are  getting  older — if  not  so  old.  For  inside, 
I  think  you  and  I  feel  as  young  as  when  we  rode 
to  the  music  of  ringing  hoofs.  How  glad  I  am  that 
auto-abominables  hadn't  been  invented  then! 
Aren't  you? 

So  my  thoughts  have  been  spinning  today.  Maybe 
that  is  why  I  am  sending  you  the  whip  (or  rather 
the  riding  crop)  that  I  used  through  those  days 
when  I  knew  the  Contra  Costa  hills.  Maybe,  too, 
you  will  like  to  hang  it  over  your  mantel  to  remem- 
ber "Idah"  by. 

With  love, 


Saturday  Evening,  the  Nineteenth  Day  of  July, 
MCMXI.  ' 


August  18. 

THE   DESERT. 

IF  you  love  the  Desert  and  live  in  it,  and  lie  awake 
at  night  under  its  low-hanging  stars,  you  know 
you  are  a  part  of  the  pulse-beat  of  the  universe; 
and  you  feel  the  swing  of  the  spheres  through  space, 
and  you  hear  through  the  silence,  the  voice  of  God 
speaking. 

Then  you  will  know  that  no  better  thing  waits 
for  man  in  all  the  world  than  just  this:  the  close 
touch  of  great  things;  the  un-desire  of  the  small, 
such  as  the  man-crowded  places  give  you  and  just 
enough  food  and  shelter  to  support  life,  and  enough 
work  to  fill  the  measure  of  one's  days. 

You,  too,  may  some  day  learn  the  Desert's  lure — 
the  Desert's  charm.  Sometime,  your  destiny  may 
lead  you  there;  and  lying  awakd  in  your  blankets 
at  night  under  the  purple-black  sky  that  is  crowded 
with  palpitating  stars,  with  the  warm  desert  wind 
blowing  softly  over  you,  caressing  your  face  and 
smoothing  your  hair  as  no  human  hand  ever  could, 
and  bringing  with  it  the  hushed  night-sounds  that 
only  the  land  of  the  greasewood  and  the  sage  knows; 
then — all  alone  there  with  only  God  and  the  Desert 
— you  will  come  to  understand  the  old  prospector 
and  his  ways;  the  Bed  Man  who  was  there  before 
him;  and  all  who  by  reason  of  years  of  dwelling 
there,  have  made  it  their  own.  But  not  now;  not 
till  you  and  the  Desert  are  lovers. 

So  I  say  to  you:  "Go!  go  to  the  gray  land,  and 
search  till  you  find  its  heart!"  If  you  go  and 
live  there,  you  will  learn  to  love  it.  And  when  you 
come  to  love  it,  and  if  you  should  go  away,  you 
will  never  for  one  instant  forget  it  through  all  the 
after  years.  It  will  be  with  you  in  memory  ever 
afterward — a  something  so  cherished  that  it  has 
no  counterpart  elsewhere  in  all  the  world.  And 
always — though  you  go  to  the  ends  of  the  earth — 
you  will  hear  the  still  voice  calling  and  calling! 

— IDAH  MEACHAM  STROBRIDGE. 


August  19. 

January  8,  1906. 


Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 


Again  I  write  to  thank  you  for  kindness  and 
presents  sent  to  all  of  us.  My  husband  returned 
safely  and  loaded  with  the  best  of  gifts — flowers, 
books,  and  sweets;  nuts  and  useful  things  .  .  . 
All  were  most  acceptable,  but  our  best  love  and 
thanks  go  out  to  you  for  the  beautiful  books.  We 
have  only  a  part  of  our  home  books  here,  and  every 
one  added  to  them  makes  us  happier.  We  have 
always  read  aloud  to  our  children  at  night  before 
bed-time,  and  in  that  way  we  all  have  the  benefit 
of  each  book. 

The  boys  dug  a  fine  bed  for  the  Cannas,  and  we 
have  them  planted,  also  most  of  the  roses.  .  .  . 

I  have  received  your  last  letter  full  of  kindness 
and  consideration  for  me  and  mine  in  which  you 
ask  if  I  will  accept  the  things  mentioned  therein. 
I  will  most  gratefully  accept  any  package  you  will 
send  me;  to  refuse  would  be  nothing  but  false 
pride. 

I  know  the  value  of  such  bundles.  My  two  girls 
are  as  tall  as  I  am,  and  what  couldn't  be  used  for 
them  or  myself  even,  could  be  made  over  for  our 
baby  girl. 


August  20. 

WE  do  our  own  sewing,  and  it  is  very  easy  to 
change  things  a  little  if  necessary.     Chil- 
dren and  girls  wear  out  things  quickly  as 
you  know,  and  everything  helps  when  one  has  as 
many  girls  and  boys  as  we. 

It  is  certainly  most  friendly  in  you  to  even 
think  of  doing  all  these  things  for  us,  and  we  ap- 
preciate the  kind  good  wishes  and  thoughts  even 
more  than  the  deeds. 


I  am,  very  truly, 

Your  friend, 


Mrs.  Mills  certainly  lost  no  time  in  sending  the 
things  she  had  mentioned  in  her  letter  when  she 
learned  they  would  be  acceptable,  as  the  date  of  the 
following  letter  shows. 


February  1,  1906. 
Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

Your  bag  came,  and  you  will  be  glad  to  know 
everything  will  be  of  much  use  to  me  for  what 
cannot  be  worn  can  be  used  in  other  ways,  especially 
the  towels  as  three  boys  do  have  to  wash  and  wipe 
their  hands  pretty  often.  It  was  most  kind  and 
thoughtful  of  you  to  send  such  a  bag  to  us. 

(See  August  21) 


Y 


August  21. 

(From  August  20) 

OU  will  be  pleased  to  know  that  every  rose  you 
sent  is  growing,  and  the  cannas  breaking 
through  the  ground  already. 

You  remember  how  bare  and  barren  it  looked  as 
you  went  out  the  house  when  here?  I  wish  you 
could  see  it  now!  Of  course,  the  flowers  are  young 
and  small,  but  children  have  made  good  gravel 
walks  and  rock  beds,  and  we  shall  have  a  very 
pretty  garden  soon.  With  the  fine  big  porch,  it 
looks  home-like  and  comfortable,  and  I  feel  you 
will  be  pleased. 

Trusting  you  are  well,  with  best  wishes,  I  am 
very  truly, 

Your  friend, 


Indeed — altho'  she  did,  literally,  when  it  came  to 
giving,  "sow  beside  all  waters" — Mrs.  Mills  rarely 
"let  her  left  hand  know  what  her  right  hand  was 
doing,"  yet  both  hands  were  busy  in  good  deeds 
and  works. 

It  is  not  her  girls  alone,  who  "arise  to  call  her 
blessed. ' ' 

These  letters  are  quoted  to  show  how  very  help- 
ful she  was  in  giving,  so  tactfully,  the  small  needs 
of  life. 

Wasn't  it  like  her  to  send  towels  for  the  use  of 
those  boysf 

Several  letters  expressing  gratitude  are  given  on 
September  and  October  pages,  and  serve  to  show 
how  wide  and  varied  were  the  interests  calling  forth 
her  helpfulness. 


August  22. 

GREAT    as   her   work    was,   Mrs.    Mills   will   be 
loved    and    respected    for    what    she    was    as 
much  as  for  what  she  did.    To  those  who  had 
the  great  privilege  of  knowing  her  intimately,  was 
given  an  insight  into  the  life  and  character  of  one 
of   the   most   remarkable   women   this   country   has 
ever  produced. 

Her  efforts  were  always  put  forth  in  the  cause 
of  progress,  both  material  and  intellectual — no  well- 
directed  movement;  having  in  view  the  good  of 
her  State  or  its  people,  ever  failing  to  meet  with  her 
hearty  support. 

She  was  a  very  progressive  woman,  with  ideas 

far  in  advance  of  those  early  days  in  California, 

when  she  and  Mr.  Mills  founded  the  little  school 
in  Benicia. 

Throughout  the  years  when  she  gave  her  life,  her 
talents,  and  her  means  for  the  educational  and 
spiritual  betterment  of  the  young  women  of  the 
coast,  she  was  always  abreast  of  the  times,  and 
in  the  light  of  modern  progress,  her  keen-sighted- 
ness  in  looking  into  the  future,  and  the  carefully 
laid  plans  that  were  to  serve  for  the  subsequent 
developments  in  school  and  state,  now  seem  to  have 
been  almost  prophetic. 

"How  great  the  changes  in  the  education  of 
women  which  the  period  of  her  active  life  covers! 
This  period  represents  the  whole  aggressive  move- 
ment for  the  higher  education  of  women." 


August  23. 

DB.  D.  K.  PEARSONS,  benefactor  of  colleges, 
said   in    his    old    age    "that    he   remembered 
seeing    Susan    Tolman,   a    'bright   black-eyed 
young  woman,'  on  her  graduating  day. ' ' 

I  remember  distinctly  seeing  them  (Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mills)  in  the  autumn  of  1854  at  the  Sem.  (Mt. 
Holyoke).  She  seemed  young  and  active  then;  full 
of  zeal  for  missionary  work,  and  ready  with  coun- 
sel for  some  who  thought  of  giving  their  lives  to 
the  service. 

Mr.  Mills  gave  a  talk  to  the  school  on  a  Wednes- 
day p.  m.,  giving  such  an  account  of  heathen  super- 
stition and  idolatry  as  I  have  never  forgotten.  He 
closed  with  these  words:  "We  have  the  Bible — 
and  they — have  it  not." 

After  a  short  rest  in  the  United  States  they  set- 
tled in  Honolulu,  Hawaiian  Islands,  at  the  head  of 
Oahu  College,  where  also  Mrs.  Mills  made  her  own 
peculiar  and  lasting  impression.  More  than  one 
prominent  clergyman,  her  pupil  then,  has  said,  "I 
owe  the  first  strong  impulse  to  make  a  worthy  life 
for  myself,  to  Mrs.  Mills." 

She  has  never  forgotten  her  early  missionary  ex- 
perience, and  Ceylon  has  ever  been  a  household 
word  at  Mills,  while  the  needs  of  the  wider  fields 
at  home  and  abroad  have  never  been  overlooked. 


August  24. 

DE.  MILLS  died  in  1884,  leaving  a  reputation 
for  unusual  financial  ability  in  the  manage- 
ment of  affairs  as  well  as  for  consecrated 
Christian    scholarship,    while   Mrs.    Mills   continued 
President,  with  two  short  interims,  until  1909,  when 
Dr.  Carson,  her  friend  and  choice,  succeeded  her  to 
the  position. 

The  College  charter,  secured  in  1885,  placed  the 
institution  on  a  firm  footing  as  the  only  Woman's 
College  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  It  is  the  child  of 
Mrs.  Mills'  heart,  and  though  relieved  from  active 
duty,  she  still  continues  her  earnest  efforts  in  ita 
behalf. 

In  it  she  has  her  home,  and  here  she  finds  strength 
and  solace  in  her  declining  years.  All  that  she  has 
done,  and  is  yet  doing  for  its  welfare,  can  never 
be  estimated.  More  than  all,  her  desire  has  been 
to  see  it  a  truly  Christian  College  where  the  highest 
training  of  the  intellect  should  be  made  conducive 
to  the  highest  spiritual  ends. 

She  has  always  considered  her  school  as  a  true 
daughter  of  Mt.  Holyoke,  and  until  very  recently 
has  made  frequent  visits  to  the  mother  institution, 
and  sought  in  every  way  to  keep  the  bond  between 
the  two  close  and  intimate. 


August  25. 

She  openeth  her  mouth  with  wisdom;  and  in  her  tongue 
is  the  law  of  kindness. — Proverbs  31:26. 

ONE  of  the  most  intensely  interesting  and  help- 
ful memories  of  Mrs.  Mills  will  always  cluster 
around  her  afternoon  talks  to  the  girls.   They 
were    most    instructive    and    edifying,    as    well    as 
charmingly  entertaining,  the  direct  subjects  being 
clothed  in  such  attractive  language. 

During  one  of  these  talks,  when  speaking  of 
politeness,  she  gave  this  most  beautiful  definition 
of  the  word:  "Politeness  is  kindness  manifested 
in  an  easy  and  graceful  manner."  Doubtless  many 
many  of  her  listeners  have  since  given  that  rare 
definition  of  politeness  to  their  own  children. 

In  another  of  her  afternoon  talks,  she  was  speak- 
ing of  economy,  and  said,  ' '  The  truest  economy  and 
the  largest  benevolences  always  go  hand  in  hand," 
and  in  her  own  daily  life  she  proved  the  truthful- 
ness of  this  saying. 

Recently,  in  looking  over  souvenirs  of  the  old 
school  days,  one  of  her  pupils  came  across  a  little 
card  which  spoke  eloquently  of  the  loving  and 
thoughtful  care  she  gave  her  students.  It  reads: 
"Dear  child,  I  wish  you  would  stay  in  bed  today, 
and  so  get  rested  and  well.  Don't  get  up  until  I 
see  you.  S.  L.  M." 

Her  devotion  to  her  students  was  beautiful  and 
touching.  In  a  letter  to  H.  M.  D.  of  September  12, 
1908,  Mrs.  Mills  wrote: 

"How  many  girls  I  have 

to  love  and  pray  for,  and  they  grow  dearer  as  the 
years  go  on." 


August  26. 

IN   my   childhood,   even   in   my   womanhood,   Mrs. 
Mills  was  always  a  big  part  of  our  Christmas, 
and  the  holidays  have  never  seemed  the  same 
since  she  left  us. 

The  packages  from  her  always  seemed  larger  and 
more  mysterious  than  any  of  the  rest,  and  when 
she  herself  came  for  her  occasional  Christmas  visits, 
the  joy  of  all  of  the  children  was  unbounded,  for 
we  loved  her  devotedly,  and  her  name  was  a  syn- 
onym in  our  minds  for  all  that  was  good  and  beau- 
tiful. 

When  we  behaved  well,  she  had  a  way  of  re- 
warding us  with  what  we  wanted  most;  when  we 
were  naughty  she  never  scolded — she  just  ' '  talked, ' ' 
and  we  never  could  quite  remember  what  she  said, 
but  it  was  kind  that  we  knew,  and  she  seemed  to 
look  with  her  dear  eyes,  right  down  into  our 
wicked  little  hearts.  At  any  rate,  it  was  much 
more  effective  than  any  punishment,  and  made  us 
feel  far  more  sorry  than  if  we  had  been  spanked 
by  our  mother. 

A  very  tangible  reminder  of  Mrs.  Mills,  came 
to  me  the  same  year  of  the  waist  episode,  else- 
where given,  in  the  form  of  bracelets.  The  gold 
ones  were  my  "thank  you"  bracelets,  and  the 
silver  ones,  "If  you  please"  gifts:  rewards  which 
had  been  promised  when  I  learned  my  first  little 
lesson  in  politeness.  ...  I  never  forgot  my 
"please"  and  "thank  you"  after  I  was  the  proud 
possessor  of  these  bracelets. 


August  27. 

1WAS  always  a  pupil  of  Mrs.  Mills,  and  never 
overcame  that  feeling.    Had  I  remained  to  grad- 
uate it  would  have  been  different  for  she  always 
came   especially  close   to   her  Seniors,   as  three   of 
my  daughters  for  whom  she  did  much  and  who  were 
graduated  under  her,  can  testify. 

I  will  relate  one  or  two  incidents  that  are  per- 
sonal, but  still  interesting  to  me.  My  mother  and 
father  came  to  California  in  the  early  '60s  by  the 
way  of  Panama.  At  Panama,  other  passengers 
boarded  the  steamer  among  them  a  little  elderly  ( 1 ) 
gentleman  and  a  small  lady.  My  parents  took  them 
to  be  missionaries,  and  thought  the  lady  a  so-called 
"old  maid,"  her  slight  figure  and  side  curls  being 
characteristic  of  those  dear  unmarried  women. 

My  father  was  much  amused  to  see  the  very  at- 
tentive manner  of  the  lady,  as  this  couple  walked 
up  and  down  the  deck  or  sat  in  steamer  chairs.  He 
said,  "That  old  maid  is  surely  setting  her  cap  for 
the  missionary  minister;  I  never  saw  anything  like 
her  devotion."  Imagine  their  surprise  upon  learn- 
ing that  the  couple  were  the  Rev.  C.  T.  Mills  and 
Mrs.  Mills,  and  that  they  had  been  married  several 
years. 

Some  years  ago  on  Admission  Day,  dear  Prof. 
Keep  in  miner's  costume,  sang  my  song  "49" 
(words  by  Joaquin  Miller).  I  took  my  children  to 
Mills  for  the  day. 

The  exercises  appropriate  to  the  day  had  begun, 
and  my  song  was  about  to  be  sung,  when  Mrs.  Mills 
beckoned  me  from  the  audience.  As  I  started  for- 
ward, she  said,  "Bring  all  the  children."  So  we 
mounted  the  platform.  I  with  baby  in  arms,  the 
rest  following. 

Mrs.   Mills   then   introduced  me   as  "Mrs. — 

and  her  five  children,  the  composer  of  the  song," 
etc.  My  older  children  were  much  embarrassed, 
and  have  never  forgotten  the  circumstance. 


T 


August  28. 

(From  August  6) 

HEN  Mrs.  Mills  would  tell  us  of  some  girls 
who  had  been  at  the  reception  given  the  new 
girls. 

She  would  say,  "Of  course  we  want  you  to  have 
a  good  time,  but  several  of  the  young  ladies  said 
to  me  as  they  bade  me  'good-night,'  'Good-night 
Mrs.  Mills,  I  have  enjoyed  myself  so  much.'  And 
I  said,  'I  am  pleased,  my  dear,  but  I  hope  that  next 
time  you  will  enjoy  somebody  else. ' ' ' 

I  have  never  forgotten  it.  Every  time  I  hear 
it,  and  that  is  often,  I  think  of  Mrs.  Mills. 

Then  when  we  would  go  to  her  room  and  ask 
if  we  might  speak  to  her,  she  would  have  such  a 
humorous  little  smile  on  her  face  as  she  said,  "My 
dear,  what  have  I  done  that  you  speak  to  me.  You 
may  speak  with  me  if  you  wish." 

When  we  asked  to  invite  some  girls  to  our  room 
for  a  little  party,  she  would  ask  if  they  were  not 
the  same  ones  we  had  before,  and  when  we  ad- 
mitted that  they  were,  she  would  suggest  that  we 
ask  some  of  the  other  girls  next  time,  saying,  "I 
never  like  these  parties  for  my  wife  and  me  and  my 
son  John  and  his  wife." 


August  29. 

«rT"'HAT  is  neither  Here  nor  There"  is  a  saying 
of  Mrs.  Mills  that  has  come  to  me  almost 
daily  during  the  years  since  I  was  grad- 
uated.    How  often  she  used  it  to  dismiss  all  that 
was  trivial  or  futile  or  unworthy  of  burdening  the 
mind! 

And  now,  in  after  years,  when  I  hear  some  one  in 
the  fret  and  jar  of  daily  life,  suffering  over  some 
trifling  misunderstanding,  or  wasting  nerve  force 
on  something  that  has  gone  wrong — something  that 
seems  a  "mountain"  today  but  will  be  a  mole- 
hill tomorrow — or  hear  the  useless  fretting  of  the 
"trouble  borrower" — the  voice  of  Mrs.  Mills  comes 
to  me,  softly  down  the  years,  "That  is  neither  here 
nor  there." 

Each  year  I  seem  to  feel  more  wonder  as  I  look 
at  Mrs.  Mills  and  realize  her  ruggedness  of  body 
and  mind,  her  wonderful  memory  and  untiring  ex- 
ecutive ability. 

My  admiration  grows  with  the  wonder,  and  my 
affection  has  always  been  hers. 

She  is  certainly  a  marvel. 

(From  a  letter  written  July  5,  1907.) 


August  30. 


Whatsoever  a  man  soweth  that  shall  he  also  reap. 

—Gal.  6:5. 


MRS.  MILLS  had  retired  from  the  Presidency 
the  year  before  I  attended  Mills  College,  so 
I   did   not   come   into   the  personal   relation 
with   her   as   often   as  the   older  girls   did;    still  I 
would  like  to  add  my  reminiscences. 

An  amusing  little  incident  comes  to  my  mind 
whenever  I  wear  a  thin  waist.  I  am  no  small  per- 
son. One  evening  on  my  way  to  the  telephone, 
Mrs.  Mills  accosted  me  in  the  hall  with  "Too  thin, 
too  thin  my  dear;  your  waist  is  too  thin."  It 
never  occurred  to  me  or  to  the  girls  that  she  meant 
other  than  my  own  waist,  which  surely  to  my  mind 
was  anything  but  ' '  thin, ' '  until  she  said,  ' '  My  dear, 
what  would  you  say  if  you  saw  your  father  coming 
down  the  hall  with  no  more  on  than  you  ha  vet" 

"She  hoped,"  she  said,  "that  none  of  her  girls 

would  marry  an  or  a  man  because 

she  wanted  us  to  choose  men  of  the  highest  morality, 
and  she  did  not  believe  men  in  those  classes  were 
as  a  rule,  of  that  type. 


We  couldn't  deceive  Mrs.  Mills!  At  one  time  the 
girls  of  College  Hall  were  rather  extravagant  in 
the  use  of  lights,  and  would  often  burn  both  gas 
and  electricity  when  one  or  the  other  would  have 
been  sufficient.  .  .  .  One  evening  she  went  to 
College  Hall  on  a  tour  of  investigation.  The  news 
of  her  purpose  spread  quickly,  and  light  after  light 
was  turned  out  in  many  a  room  before  she  entered. 
All  to  no  purpose,  however,  for  with  the  ever  ready 
twinkle  in  her  eye,  she  crossed  room  after  room, 
and  felt  the  globe  which  was  still  warm. 


August  31. 

GIVE  Mrs.  Mills  my  dear  love.     I  realize  how 
sorrowing  and  lonely  she  must  often  be  now 
that  so  much  of  her  chosen  work  has  passed 
from  her  hands,  and  the  dear  sister  has  gone. 

I  have  copied  into,  my  Mt.  Holyoke  record  about 
Mrs.  Mills  the  prayer  of  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander, 
which  she  has  made  her  own.  I  often  use  it  for 
myself. 


The  prayer  referred  to,  and  given  on  the  opposite 
page,  is  "The  prayer  which  Dr.  Archibald  Alex- 
ander wrote  for  himself  at  three  score  and  ten,  and 
used  daily  up  to  his  death." 

Mrs.  Mills  kept  in  her  favorite  Bible,  a  copy  of 
this  prayer.  It  is  typewritten  on  very  thin  paper, 
and  shows  that  she  must  have  read  it  frequently. 


MOST  merciful  God,  cast  me  not  off  in 
the  time  of  old  age,  forsake  me  not  if 
my  strength  faileth.  May  my  hoary 
head  be  found  in  righteousness.  Preserve 
my  mind  from  dotage  and  imbecility  and  my 
body  from  protracted  disease  and  excruciat- 
ing pain.  Deliver  me  from  despondency  in 
my  declining  years,  and  enable  me  to  bear 
with  patience  whatever  may  be  Thy  Holy 
Will.  I  humbly  ask  that  my  reason  may  be 
continued  to  the  last,  and  that  I  majr  be 
comforted  and  supported  that  I  may  leave 
my  testimony  in  favor  of  the  reality  of 
religion,  and  of  Thy  faithfulness  in  fulfilling 
Thy  gracious  promises.  And  when  my  spirit 
leaves  this  clay  tenement,  Lord  Jesus  re- 
ceive it.  Send  some  of  Thy  blessed  angels 
to  convey  my  inexperienced  soul  to  the  man- 
sions which  Thy  love  has  prepared,  and  O, 
may  I  have  an  abundant  entrance  ministered 
unto  me  into  the  Kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 
Savior  Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 


September  1. 

MOST  of  the  letters  on  these  various  pages  were 
written  to  Mrs.  Mills  by  students  or  friends, 
and  have  been  kept  by  her — some,  through 
so  many  years  as  to  be  yellowed  by  time. 

Their  content  will  show  that  she  was  touched, 
pleased,  and  encouraged  by  the  appreciation  or  love 
they  express;  especially  by  those  assuring  her  that 
she  had  helped  some  girl  to  a  deeper  sense  of  her 
love  for  her  Savior,  and  to  a  desire  to  do.  His  will. 

She  would  sometimes  say  to  us,  "Do  not  keep  all 
the  flowers  for  a  friend's  casket."  Surely  she 
looked  upon  these  expressions  as  flowers,  amaranths, 
that  came  in  season  for  her  heart  to  enjoy  and  her 
soul  to  cherish. 


It  was  very  kind  of  you,  dear  Mrs.  Mills,  to  take 
the  trouble  to  write,  yourself,  and  send  the  paper, 
and  I  appreciate  it  very  much.  I  shall  value  them 
both,  and  shall  always  keep  them. 

God  has  been  so  good  to  me  ever  since  I  first 
came  into  this  world  that  sometimes,  when  I  think 
of  my  mercies,  I  am  overwhelmed. 

My  greatest  desire  is  to  be  so  much  like  my 
Savior  that  others  may  want  to  know  and  love  Him, 
too.  And  I  want  to  do  all  the  work  for  Him  I  can, 
that  the  world  may  be  a  little  better  because  I  have 
done  the  things  He  called  me  to  do. 


September  2. 

AT  could  I  have  done  if  I  had  not  received 
the    education    that     I     have!    and     where 
would  I  have  been  had  it  not  been  for  the 
Christian  influences  of  Mills  College? 

I  know,  only  too  well,  my  natural  tendencies,  and 
knowing  them,  am  sure  that  if  it  had  not  been  for 
these  influences  I  would  not  have  been  a  Christian. 

When  I  began  to  write,  it  was  my  intention  to 
simply  thank  you,  but  somehow  I  feel  I  want  to 
let  you  know  my  inside  life  a  little. 

It  has  been  a  relief  to  me  to  tell  it  to  you,  for 
though  I  know  that  God  has  promised  strength  and 
wisdom  to  me  if  I  trust  Him,  still  I  wanted  your 
sympathy.  I  know  I  have  it,  as  all  "your  girls" 
do,  and  the  thought  encourages  me. 

Thanking  you  again,  I  remain, 

Your  loving  loyal  pupil, 


M 


September  3. 

UCH  has  been  said  of  Mrs.  Mills  remarkable 
memory,  and  her  thoughtfulness  in  the  little 
things  of  life. 

Not  long  ago,  the  writer  came  across  an  old  letter 
•written  by  her,  January  25,  1900.  In  it  she  speaks 
of  the  noted  Emma  Nevada,  an  alumna,  and  shows 
that  she  remembered  such  a  small  detail  as  the 
hour  of  her  nap. 

She  wrote: 

"Emma  Nevada  will  be  in  Portland  soon.  Your 
mother  knew  her  well,  and  I  hope  you  will  both 
call  upon  her. 

"She  always  takes  a  nap  after  luncheon  for  an 
hour,  so  do  not  go  until  after  that  time. 

"Emma  has  grown  lovely  and  sings  better  than 
ever.  Her  voice  is  wonderful  in  its  flexibility,  and 
though  not  strong,  it  is  so  sweet  and  so  well  cul- 
tivated that  it  fills  the  largest  theatre. 

"She  is  a  lovely  good  woman,  wife,  and  mother. 
She  leaves  San  Francisco  on  Saturday." 


The  date  of  the  following  letter  is  not  given, 
but  the  note  was  written  at  a  time  when  courage, 
strength,  patience,  and  faith  were  put  to  a  severe 
test. 

Dear  D . 

I  wish  I  had  such  an  Easter  Card  as  is  in  my 
heart  for  you. 

I  love  you.  I  pray  for  you.  It  is  the  best  I  can 
do. 

You  have  been  a  real  comfort  and  help  to  me. 

I  don't  mean  to  be  cast  down  nor  unchristian  in 
any  way. 

This  has  been  a  hard  time  for  me,  but  God  has 
helped  me.  I  want  to  be  and  do  just  as  He  would 
have  me.  Pray  that  I  may. 

Yours  in  tender  love, 

S.  L.  M. 


September  4. 

MY  silence  is  the  result  of  neither  indifference 
nor  forgetfulness.    The  fact  is,  I  find  myself 
unable  to  say  anything    at    all    worthy  of 
Mrs.  Mills.    When  I  attempt  it,  I  feel  a  good  deal 
like   a    mere   novice   trying   to   explain   the   strong 
striking  parts  of  a  great  work  of  art. 

Mrs.  Mills  impressed  me  by  her  quickness  to  per- 
ceive the  effect  of  anything  done  or  attempted  in 
the  College;  her  remarkable  kindness;  her  strong 
resolute  will,  never  exerted,  so  far  as  I  know,  in 
a  harsh  or  unsympathetic  way,  but  compelling  con- 
formity to  her  wishes  with,  apparently,  the  greatest 
ease;  her  untiring  energy;  her  strong,  earnest  faith 
in,  and  love  for,  her  Heavenly  Father. 

Mills  College  known  so  favorably,  far  and  wide, 
is  a  mute  but  at  the  same  time,  a  telling  evidence 
of  her  great  ability  as  an  Educator. 

I  wish  I  could  say  fully  just  what  I  thought  of 
her.  She  was,  to  me,  a  constant  source  of  wonder 
and  of  admiration. 

Mrs.  Mills  should  be  classed  as  one  of  the  great 
women  of  this  Coast. 


September  5. 

SOME  one  has  said: 
' '  Behind  every  human  under- 
taking there  is  a  personality."  Certainly 
behind  Mills  College,  was  and  is,  the  personality 
of  Mrs.  Mills.  Her  influence  everywhere  felt;  in 
government,  administration,  curriculum.  In  hos- 
pitality always  remembering  the  comfort  of  others — 
the  cup  that  cheers,  the  birthday  cake,  the  special 
dinner  on  her  own  birthday,  the  afternoon  luncheon 
for  hungry  girls,  the  Friday  night  basket  of 
crackers. 

As  housekeeper  she  managed  everything.  She 
kept  a  cook  over  thirty  years,  her  coachman  over 
forty. 

When  Emma  Nevada  gave  a  concert  at  the  Col- 
lege for  the1  benefit  of  the  new  Lisser  Hall,  it 
greatly  gratified  Mrs.  Mills  to  say,  "The  dear  child 
sang  only  the  songs  that  I  like."  On  one  occasion 
a  crippled  girl  wondered  why  Mrs.  Mills  kissed  her 
when  ' '  she  only  shook  hands  with  the  others. ' ' 

In  her  private  dining-room,  at  luncheon  one  day 
she  said,  "Here  are  alligator  pears.  Who  likes 
them!"  One  at  the  table  replied,  "I  love  them." 
She  said,  "Like  alligator  pears,  and  love  your 
parents,  my  child." 

With  "far-reaching  affection  and  interest"  she 
kept  track  of  all  her  girls,  and  knew  all  their  lives, 
their  joys  and  sorrows  after  they  left  the  school 
home.  Her  admonitions  to  her  girls  were  clear 
and  concise,  and  meant  for  practical  application. 
Among  them  many  of  us  recall:  "Be  good.  Be 
kind.  Be  wise.  Have  high  ideals.  Do  thorough 
faithful  work.  Try  always  to  do  as  you  would  be 
done  by." 


September  6. 
(For  a  birthday  of  September  5) 

IT  was  Easter-time.     I  was  six  and  Billy  between 
three  and  four.    We  were  most  anxious  to  send 
"Grandmother"  an  Easter  card,  and  were  de- 
lighted to  find  a  card  decorated  with  lilies. 

We  made  a  frame  out  of  bits  of  wood,  and 
painted  it  with  gray  paint  begged  from  the  work- 
men who  were  painting  our  house. 

We  did  not  tell  mother,  so  almost  "burst"  for 
three  days  while  we  kept  our  secret,  and  waited 
until  Easter  morn  should  arrive  and  disclose  our  big 
surprise. 

On  my  last  visit  to  my  beloved  friend  there  was 
the  little  card  in  the  queer  little  frame,  on  her 
dressing-table  where  it  had  rested  for  twenty  years! 

She  knew  it  was  a  gift  of  love,  and  she  kept  it 
always  before  her  as  a  reminder  of  the  little  ones 
who  had  sent  it. 

After  her  death  it  was  given  back  to  me.  It  is 
now  on  my  desk,  one  of  my  treasured  possessions. 

Not  until  I  was  grown,  did  I  learn  the  verse  on 
the  supposed  Easter  card  to  be:  "And  He  said 
unto  her,  'Daughter,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee 
whole;  go  in  peace  and  be  cured  of  thy  plague.'  ' 
And  then  I  realized  another  reason  why  she  had 
kept  it — it  must  always  have  brought  a  smile. 


M 


September  7. 

July  28—99. 
Y  dear  Mrs.  Mills, 

I  was  very  sorry  not  to   see  you  again 
before  you  left. 

Your  good-bye  note  was  just  like  your  dear 
thoughtful  heart,  and  I  am  hoping  to  make  amends 
for  the  brief  moments  here,  when  I  may  be  again 
in  California. 

You  ask  for  a  copy  of  the  few  words  I  said  at 
our  reunion.  I  had  only  jotted  down  a  very  few 
of  them,  and  now  as  I  try  to  write  out  from  memory 
some  of  the  many  thoughts  that  were  almost  chok- 
ing my  heart  with  their  tenderness  that  day,  they 
seem  very  few,  and  weak,  and  cold  compared  with 
my  feelings  then,  and  all  the  time  for  you  and  that 
precious  period  in  my  life. 

We  do  grow  homesick  for  the  past,  as  we  go  on 
in  life — and  the  inexorableness  of  the  past — its 
blank  wall,  as  it  were,  is  so  hard  to  bear. 

So  your  coming  all  unchanged  in  such  marvelous 
ways,  brought  the  spring-time  of  our  lives  back  to 
us,  and  it  was,  oh!  so  sweet. 


D 


September  8. 

7th  January,  1907. 

Two  East  Ninety-first  Street,  New  York. 
EAR  Mrs.  Mills, 

In  Margaret's  name  I  have  to  thank  you 
once  more  for  your  exceedingly  kind  thought 
of  her.  The  lovely  flowers  which  came  to  greet 
her  on  New  Year's  morning  gave  her  a  great  deal 
of  pleasure,  and  I  can  assure  you  we  all  deeply 
appreciate  your  kindness. 

With  all  good  wishes  for  the  New  Year,  believe 
me, 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

LOUISE  W.  CARNEGIE. 


Oh,  if  the  earth,  the  world,  were  not  the  better 
for  all  the  influence  wrought  by  your  hands,  born 
of  your  life — the  soil  would  have  been  barren  indeed. 

If  you  can  feel  that  you  have  seen  a  little  fruit, 
while  still  with  us,  I  joy  to  think  of  the  white 
harvest  you  will  see,  when  earthly  knowledge  is 
swallowed  up  in  "Knowing  the  Lord"  beyond. 

With  sincerest  love,  and  dearest,  tenderest  mem- 
ories of  the  years  gone  by, 

Your  old  pupil, 


M 


September  9. 

Mills  Seminary,  Feb.  13,  1882. 
Y  dear  Father, — 


This  is  Sunday.  I  have  just  come  up 
stairs  from  lunch;  we  had  a  very  nice  lunch. 
It  is  very  cold  here  today,  and  now  I  am  sitting  by 
the  window  and  can  see  the  trees  sway  back  and 
forth  in  the  wind  and  the  brook  goes  rippling  on, 
it  seems  to  me,  faster  than  usual,  as  if  to  get  itself 
warm.  Just  now  it  is  beginning  to  rain,  and  the 
very  hills  seem  cold,  but  I  can  hear  a  bird,  now 
and  then,  sing  out  a  note.  All  this,  as  I  look  out 
on  it,  makes  me  have,  as  Longfellow  wrote,  "A 
feeling  of  sadness  and  longing  that  is  not  akin  to 
pain,  and  resembles  sorrow  only  as  the  mist  re- 
sembles rain." 

Now  I  have  asked  myself  and  am  asking  myself 
all  the  time,  what  is  this  longing?  and  I  have 
almost  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  God's 
spirit  striving  with  me  and  trying  to  make  me 
give  up  all  my  doubts  and  come  to  Him. 

You  have  no  idea  what  an  influence  Mrs.  Mills  has 
over  me,  and  she  does  not  know  it.  It  is  beautiful 
here  in  every  way. 


September  10. 

WE  have  such  delightful  views  from  our  room. 
One    morning    not    long    ago,    it    had    been 
raining,  but  had  stopped  for  awhile  and  all 
the   hills  looked   so   dark   and  they  seemed  to  ask 
the  sun  to  come  out.     Pretty  soon,  way  over  in  an 
obscure  corner,  there  came  a  ray  of  sunshine  just 
on  one  little  hill,  then  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole 
scenery  was  lit  up,  for  the  sun  came  out  so  beauti- 
fully. 

I  almost  drew  a  breath  of  relief  when  I  saw  in 
the  way  I  put  it,  that  little  hill  reflecting  the  light 
and  warmth  from  the  sun,  all  over.  Now,  I  won- 
der if  you  see  my  point? 

I  called  my  room-mate's  attention  to  that  beau- 
tiful view,  and  I  believe  if  I  had  been  a  painter, 
I  should  have,  if  possible,  conveyed  it  to  canvas. 
Indeed,  we  have  so  many  beautiful  views  here  that 
I  think  I  can  say,  "How  beautiful  are  the  works 
of  God." 

Now,  I  want  to  tell  you  about  our  Sunday  School 
lesson.  We  have  a  lovely  teacher.  Mrs.  Mills  does 
not  omit  religious  exercises  Sunday  morning  any 
more  than  other  mornings. 

The  lesson  today  was  about  Christ  and  his  friends 
and  enemies  and  was  very  interesting,  but  there  was 
one  verse  which  puzzled  us.  .  .  . 


(This  leaf  of  a  letter  was  sent  over  thirty  years 
ago  to  Mrs.  Mills  by  the  father  who  received  it, 
that  she  might  know  of  her  Christian  influence  over 
his  daughter.) 

It  is  touching  to  find  how  carefully  Mrs.  Mills 
treasured  these  letters  expressing  gratitude  and 
appreciation. 


September  11. 


SONNET— MBS.   MILLS. 

WHEN  her  full  life  in  memory,  I  recall. 
That    mother-touch    that    all    of    us    have 
known, 

I  ask,  "Does  motherhood  belong  alone 
To  her  who  bears  a  child?  to  her  whose  all 
Lies  at  her  breast,  and  doth  her  heart  enthrall 
Because  her  own  reflection  there  is  shown; 
A  motherhood  of  instinct  that  can  own 
No  flesh  but  hers? 

Is  not  the  name  miscalled  t 
And  shall  that  name  of  mother  be  denied 
To  one  whose  universal  motherhood 
Op'd  wide  her  generous  arms  to  all  who  came 
And  with  a  tenderness  without  a  name 
Made  them  her  daughters?" 

Her  touch  will  not  depart 

With  years.     Childless,   yet   hers  was  the  mother- 
heart. 

LUBITA    STONE,    S.    '09. 
December  15,  1914. 


September  12. 
Inscription  in  Dining  Hall  at  Mills  College. 

"Break  Thou  the  Bread  of  Life 

Dear  Lord  to  me 
As  Thou  didst  break  the  Loaves 
Beside  the  sea." 


THE   following  lines  were  sent    to    Mrs.  Mills 
after  Miss  Grace  Hibbard  of  the  Women's 
Press   Association  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  had 
been  entertained  at  luncheon  at  Mills  College. 

GIVING  GOD  THANKS. 

Around  the  tables  spread  with  food,  were  standing 
Girls,  like  the  spring-time  blossoms  fair, 

While  through  the  open  casement,  sunbeams  slanting 
Bested  in  glory  on  their  hair. 

A  silence — and  then  voices,  birdlike,  singing — 
"Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." 

Full,  clear,  accordant,  joyous,  upward  soaring, 
Tender,  adoring,  soft,  and  low. 

Wrapped  in  the  sunlight,  may  they  ever  praise  Him 
With  hearts  and  voices  on  life's  way, 

And  sing  together  with  the  "Hosts"  in  Heaven, 
When  dawns  for  each  "the  Perfect  Day." 

— GRACE  E.  HIBBARD. 
In  remembrance  of  September  11,  1897. 


September  13. 


How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him 
that  bringeth  good  tidings,  that  publisheth  peace;  that 
bringeth  good  tidings  of  good,  that  publisheth  salvation; 
that  saith  unto  Zion,  Thy  God  reigneth! — Isaiah  62:7. 


o 


F  the  many  memories  of  Mrs.  Mills,  to  me  one 
of  the  most  inspiring  is  the  broad  scope  of 
her  interests. 


Life  to  her  was  rich  and  full,  and  amid  her 
many  duties  and  responsibilities  she  always  found 
time  to  inform  herself  on  the  great  problems  of 
the  day. 

She  took  also  a  keen  personal  interest  in  all 
phases  of  philanthropy. 

Mrs.  Mills  thought  in  large  terms  and  with  an 
open  mind;  she  was  ever  eager  for  suggestion  and 
help  from  any  source. 

One  can  never  associate  narrowness  with  her 
nature,  but  her  warm  generous  impulses  will 
always  be  a  source  of  affection  and  inspiration. 


Mrs.  Mills  was  such  a  rare,  magnetic  soul — and 
what  a  fragrant  memory  she  leaves  behind! 

It  has,  indeed,  been  a  liberal  education  to  me 
to  have  known  so  intimately  for  so  many  years 
euch  rare  spirits  as  Mrs.  Mills  and  Miss  Tolman  and 
my  father. 

Perhaps  they  are  "talking  it  over"  now,  as  Mrs. 
Mills  so  often  said. 


September  14. 

"In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions;  if 
it  were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you.  I  will  not 
leave  you  comfortless;  I  will  come  to  you.  Let  not 
your  heart  be  troubles,  neither  let  it  be  afraid." 

MRS.  KATE  MILLER,  the  mother  of  Miss  Ege, 
the     present     Acting     President     of     Mills 
College,    in   July,    1914,   went   to   the   home 
prepared  for  her  in  the  Father's  House.     She  was 
eighty-one  years  of  age  and  in  many  respects  was 
much  like  Mrs.  Mills. 

Of  each  it  can  be  truly  said:  "A  woman  who 
knew  the  joy  of  living,  and  the  joy  of  accomplish- 
ment, whose  interest  in  life,  people,  and  good  works 
continued  to  the  very  end." 

"She  hath  done  what  she  could." 


I  appreciate  more  than  words  can  express,  the 
privilege  of  saying  a  few  words  about  Mrs.  Mills  in 
the  Year  Book  to  her  memory. 

Her  beautiful  life  and  good  works  are  an  endur- 
ing monument  to  her. 

If  one  thing  more  than  another  stands  out  in  my 
memory  it  is — her  earnest  desire  to  help  those 
whom  she  considered  worthy,  yet  were  unable  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  delightful  privilege  of 
attending  her  beautiful  college. 

She  was  always  interested  in  each  individual 
girl's  spiritual  welfare,  and  all  of  her  words  were 
words  of  wisdom  and  loving  counsel. 


September  15. 

From  directions  given  by  Miss  Tolman  to  her 
class  in  Literature.  (Taken  from  an  old  exercise- 
book). 

UNDEBSTAND  from  the  first  what  is  meant  by 
literature  and  what  you  expect  to  gain  from 
its  study  here.   Try  to  avoid  superficial  study, 
and  to   that   end  do   not   read  too   much.     Compel 
yourself  to  repeat  the  substance  of  what  you  read 
without   referring   to   the   book;    this   will   prevent 
inattention. 

Keep  in  mind  that  study  about  literature  is  not 
study  of  literature.  Try  to  have  only  so  much  of 
one  as  will  be  needed  to  appreciate  the  other. 

Lord  Bacon's  Students'  Prayer: 

"To  God  the  Father,  God  the  Word,  God  the 
Spirit:  we  put  forth  most  humble  and  hearty  sup- 
plications that  human  things  may  not  prejudice 
euch  as  are  divine;  neither  that  from  the  unlocking 
of  the  gates  of  sense,  and  the  kindling  of  a  greater 
light,  anything  of  incredulity  or  intellectual  night 
may  arise  in  our  minds  toward  divine  mysteries." 

"Thy  creatures  have  been  my  books,  but  thy 
scriptures  much  more;  I  have  sought  thee  in  thy 
courts,  fields,  and  gardens,  but  have  found  thee  in 
thy  temples." 


September  16. 

JANE  C.  TOLMAN. 

Born  1831;  died  1912. 

Mrs.  Mills'   Youngest  Sister. 

From  Miss  Julia  Tolman's  "Daily  Food"   texts,  1838. 

I  will   look  unto   the  Lord:   I  will  wait  for  the   God  of 
my  Salvation.     My  God  will  hear  me. — Micah  7:7. 

Sister  Jennie's  Birthday. 


MISS   TOLMAN   has   a   monument   of   grateful 
remembrance  in  the  heart  of  every  woman 
who  has  had  the  lasting  joy  and  benefit  of 
a  visit  to  Europe  after  having  had  training  under 
her  in  the  study  of  Art. 


It  is  hard  to  remember  any  one  artist  more  than 
another  which  would  be  a  favorite  of  Miss  Tolman. 
She  loved  so  many  and  in  such  different  ways.  But 
I  really  believe  she  loved  the  Greuze  (original) 
which  hung  in  her  library  more  than  any  other 
picture  she  owned. 

She  always  wanted  mother  to  go  with  her  when 
she  wished  to  select  a  new  picture  by  one  of  our 
local  artists,  and  together  they  would  go  over  the 
ground. 

Miss  Tolman  loved  the  beautiful  in  clothes,  furni- 
ture, ornaments,  as  well  as  in  Art,  and  those  who 
knew  her  at  the  College  will  remember  how  beauti- 
fully she  could  arrange  flowers.  No  one  else  could 
do  it  quite  so  well  as  she. 

Her  eye  for  combination  and  form  was  perfect, 
and,  in  my  time,  she  always  kept  the  reception 
parlors  dressed  with  flowers. 


September  17. 

ON"  that  first  visit  to  Benicia,  nearly  fifty  years 
ago,  we  attended  General  Exercises.     It  was 
Friday  afternoon,   and  the  girls  entertained 
us   by   reading   compositions,   reciting,   singing,   and 
piano  playing.     All  was  very  good.     I  was  deeply 
impressed,  and  saw  at  once  the  great    advantages 
those  young  ladies  had  compared  with  when  I  was 
a  boarding-school  miss. 

I  was  educated  in  the  convent  of  St.  Agnes  at 
Memphis,  Tenn.  The  Sisters  were  lovely  women 
and  everything  was  very  elegant.  The  rostrum  of 
the  large  hall  was  covered  with  fine  velvet  carpet, 
and  a  square  piano  was  on  either  side.  The  Com- 
mencement Exercises  lasted  three  days.  As  we 
were  called,  we  mounted  the  rostrum  and  made  a 
courtesy,  an  old-fashioned  way,  but  much  prettier 
I  think,  than  the  stiff  bow  of  the  present  time.  We 
practiced  for  our  grand  display  for  some  time.  As 
I  compared  the  two,  it  seemed  very  superficial,  but 
it  was  very  pretty — those  lovely  Southern  girls 
dressed  in  pure  white,  so  graceful  and  innocent. 

But  to  return  to  the  exercises  at  Benicia  Sem- 
inary. One  young  lady  read  a  composition  on 
Bread.  It  seems  that  she  had  tried  to  make  some 
bread,  and  called  forth  the  laughter  of  all  pres- 
ent, by  referring  to  it  as  having  the  consistency  of 
the  streets  of  Benicia.  It  was  after  a  rain,  and 
those  of  that  day  will  easily  recall  that  the  mud 
was  so  deep  a  horse  could  scarcely  get  through  it. 

The  years  have  only  impressed  it  upon  me,  that 
those  who  take  the  full  course  at  that  great  insti- 
tution of  learning,  Mills  College,  will  go  forth  as 
well-educated,  splendid  women  and  so  cannot  help 
being  ornaments  of  society. 

(Mrs.  Mills  always  cautioned  them  not  to  live  to 
be  "a  mere  ornament  to  society")  and  wherever 
their  paths  may  lead,  they  will  reflect  honor,  respect, 
and  dignity  upon  California. 


o 


September  18. 

N  one  of  my  visits  to  the  College  in  the  early 
years,  Mrs.  Mills  accompanied  me  on  my 
return  home. 


As  I  was  waiting  on  the  steps  for  the  bus,  she 
passed  me,  saying,  ' '  I  will  be  ready  in  a  minute, ' ' 
entered  her  private  apartment,  dressed  herself,  not 
forgetting  the  overskirt,  filled  her  sachel,  and 
returned  in  what  seemed  less  than  a  minute,  pinning 
on  her  shawl. 

After  we  were  settled  comfortably  in  the  train, 
she  took  a  hank  of  yarn  from  her  sachel,  and  had 
me  hold  it  while  she  wound  it.  After  the  winding, 
she  commenced  to  knit.  Her  fingers  flew  as  she 
worked,  talking  all  the  while.  Then  she  laid  the 
knitting  aside,  to  peel  an  apple  which  she  passed  on 
the  point  of  her  fruit-knife  to  me;  she  peeled 
another,  divided  it,  and  gave  it  to  two  little  girls 
sitting  in  front  of  us;  then  peeled  one  for  herself, 
eating  and  talking  all  the  while — and  what  she  said 
was  always  worth  listening  to  and  remembering — 
then  she  returned  to  her  knitting  again. 

Once  when  I  drove  into  Benicia,  she  came  to  the 
parlor  all  covered  with  flour,  saying:  "After  teach- 
ing the  Science  class,  I  went  into  the  kitchen  and 
made  fourteen  pies  for  dinner." 

Just  think  what  a  remarkable  woman  she  was! 

I  always  felt  that  I  was  blessed  in  knowing  her 
BO  intimately. 

Upon  whose  shoulders  will  her  mantle  fall? 
Surely  there  is  no  other  like  her. 


September  17. 

ON"  that  first  visit  to  Benicia,  nearly  fifty  years 
ago,  we  attended  General  Exercises.     It  was 
Friday  afternoon,   and  the  girls  entertained 
us  by   reading   compositions,   reciting,   singing,   and 
piano  playing.     All  was  very  good.     I  was  deeply 
impressed,  and  saw  at  once  the  great    advantages 
those  young  ladies  had  compared  with  when  I  was 
a  boarding-school  miss. 

I  was  educated  in  the  convent  of  St.  Agnes  at 
Memphis,  Tenn.  The  Sisters  were  lovely  women 
and  everything  was  very  elegant.  The  rostrum  of 
the  large  hall  was  covered  with  fine  velvet  carpet, 
and  a  square  piano  was  on  either  side.  The  Com- 
mencement Exercises  lasted  three  days.  As  we 
were  called,  we  mounted  the  rostrum  and  made  a 
courtesy,  an  old-fashioned  way,  but  much  prettier 
I  think,  than  the  stiff  bow  of  the  present  time.  We 
practiced  for  our  grand  display  for  some  time.  As 
I  compared  the  two,  it  seemed  very  superficial,  but 
it  was  very  pretty — those  lovely  Southern  girls 
dressed  in  pure  white,  so  graceful  and  innocent. 

But  to  return  to  the  exercises  at  Benicia  Sem- 
inary. One  young  lady  read  a  composition  on 
Bread.  It  seems  that  she  had  tried  to  make  some 
bread,  and  called  forth  the  laughter  of  all  pres- 
ent, by  referring  to  it  as  having  the  consistency  of 
the  streets  of  Benicia.  It  was  after  a  rain,  and 
those  of  that  day  will  easily  recall  that  the  mud 
was  so  deep  a  horse  could  scarcely  get  through  it. 

The  years  have  only  impressed  it  upon  me,  that 
those  who  take  the  full  course  at  that  great  insti- 
tution of  learning,  Mills  College,  will  go  forth  as 
well-educated,  splendid  women  and  so  cannot  help 
being  ornaments  of  society. 

(Mrs.  Mills  always  cautioned  them  not  to  live  to 
be  "a  mere  ornament  to  society")  and  wherever 
their  paths  may  lead,  they  will  reflect  honor,  respect, 
and  dignity  upon  California. 


o 


September  18. 

N  one  of  my  visits  to  the  College  in  the  early 
years,  Mrs.  Mills  accompanied  me  on  my 
return  home. 


As  I  was  waiting  on  the  steps  for  the  bus,  she 
passed  me,  saying,  "I  will  be  ready  in  a  minute," 
entered  her  private  apartment,  dressed  herself,  not 
forgetting  the  overskirt,  filled  her  sachel,  and 
returned  in  what  seemed  less  than  a  minute,  pinning 
on  her  shawl. 

After  we  were  settled  comfortably  in  the  train, 
she  took  a  hank  of  yarn  from  her  saehel,  and  had 
me  hold  it  while  she  wound  it.  After  the  winding, 
she  commenced  to  knit.  Her  fingers  flew  as  she 
worked,  talking  all  the  while.  Then  she  laid  the 
knitting  aside,  to  peel  an  apple  which  she  passed  on 
the  point  of  her  fruit-knife  to  me;  she  peeled 
another,  divided  it,  and  gave  it  to  two  little  girls 
sitting  in  front  of  us;  then  peeled  one  for  herself, 
eating  and  talking  all  the  while — and  what  she  said 
was  always  worth  listening  to  and  remembering — 
then  she  returned  to  her  knitting  again. 

Once  when  I  drove  into  Benieia,  she  came  to  the 
parlor  all  covered  with  flour,  saying:  "After  teach- 
ing the  Science  class,  I  went  into  the  kitchen  and 
made  fourteen  pies  for  dinner. ' ' 

Just  think  what  a  remarkable  woman  she  was! 

I  always  felt  that  I  was  blessed  in  knowing  her 
so  intimately. 

Upon  whose  shoulders  will  her  mantle  fall? 
Surely  there  is  no  other  like  her. 


September  19. 

After  the  graduation  of  a  student. 
My  Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

MY  mother  and  I  arrived  home  in  safety  Satur- 
day evening.     Mamma  and  I  both  wish  to 
thank    you    for    your    hospitality  at   Com- 
mencement time. 

I  felt  so  bad  at  leaving  my  college  home  that  I 
could  not  trust  myself  to  tell  you  how  much  my 
life  with  you  has  been  to  me,  or  how  much  I  appre- 
ciate all  that  has  come  to  me  through  the  eight 
years  of  study,  and  the  personal  contact  with  your- 
self and  other  members  of  the  Faculty. 

The  money  paid  for  tuition  does  not,  to  me,  begin 
to  represent  what  I  have  received  through  my  con- 
nection with  Mills  College.  I  love  it,  Mrs.  Mills, 
with  all  my  heart  and  will  always  do  with  joy  any- 
thing that  I  can  to  advance  its  interests. 

As  for  myself,  I  intend  to  live  so  that  you  may 
never  be  ashamed  of  me  as  one  of  your  daughters. 

Though  I  may  not  be  with  you  as  in  the  past,  in 
person,  my  thoughts  and  prayers  will  always  be 
yours. 


September  20. 

NO  matter  how  much  I  may  enjoy  new  sights 
and    scenes,   Mills   will    always   have   a   first 
place  in  my  affections.    I  love  every  tree  and 
bush  on  the  place;  I  do  not  believe  any  one  appre- 
ciated the  flowers  more     *     *     *     or  knows  better 
just  where  they  all  are. 

I  cannot  express  to  you  in  words,  Mrs.  Mills,  all 
the  gratitude  and  love  that  are  yours;  I  can  only 
say,  God  bless  you  many,  many  times  for  the  work 
which  you  are  doing. 

Ever  your  loving  pupil  and  daughter. 


Such  a  letter  surely  is  one  of  the  precious  flowers 
of  life.  It  goes  to  prove,  too,  what  all  closely  asso- 
ciated with  Mrs.  Mills  have  come  to  recognize — that 
she  was  one  of  those  rare  persons  that  the  longer 
and  the  better  one  knows  them,  the  more  does  one 
love  and  admire  them. 

Every  day  revealed  some  new  and  lovable  trait 
in  Mrs.  Mills,  to  those  who  knew  her  in  the  intima- 
cies of  her  private  life.  C. 


September  21. 
My  Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

THOUGH  I  have  often  voiced  my  appreciation 
of  your  kindness  yet  I  desire  to  express  it  to 
you  more  fully  now,  as  I  am  about  to  go  else- 
where. 

Here  I  have  found  a  delightful  home  replete  with 
refinement,  and  full  of  invigorating  action  to  climb 
up  and  on  in  life's  work. 

I  trust  I  may  be  pardoned  if  I  say  that  I  have  a 
nature  which  has  always  felt  a  deep  religious  feel- 
ing and  the  love  of  Jesus  in  its  depths,  and  that  I 
have  been  often  shocked  by  the  intolerance  and 
the  bigotry  of  the  many  sects  (or  the  people  pro- 
fessing those  sects)  with  whom  I  have  come  in  con- 
tact. 

But  here,  with  your  broad  mind  and  Christian 
heart  sending  forth  a  strength  which  permeates  this 
whole  institution,  I  have  found  a  liberality  of 
thought  and  a  more  Christ-like  life  than  I  have 
ever  found  elsewhere. 

Your  kind  consideration  I  can  never  repay,  but 
my  esteem  and  love  for  you  will  cause  me  to  do 
gladly  any  services  for  you  which  you  may  require 
and  I  am  able  to  give. 

Sincerely, 


September  22. 
My  Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

OFFICIAL  notice  has  been  received  that  I  am 
to  graduate  next  Tuesday  night.     The  invita- 
tions will  be  ready  tomorrow  and  then  I  shall 
send  you  one,  but  I  thought  I  could  not  wait  to  let 
you  know  it. 

You  have  helped  me  so  much  in  every  way  that  I 
want  to  express  again  my  appreciation.  In  a 
financial  way  you  have  helped  in  my  work;  with 
your  influence  you  have  helped  me  to  a  position, 
and  above  all  your  individuality  and  energy  and 
Christianity  have  aided  me,  personally,  more  than 
anything  else. 

I  have  this  term  sent  you  two  girls  and  I  shall 
not  cease  in  my  efforts  to  get  you  more.  *  *  * 

I  write  you  my  appreciation  because  I  know  that 
though  I  shall  see  you  soon,  you  will  be  so  busy 
that  I  shall  not  have  the  opportunity  to  talk  with 
you  for  many  moments. 

Good-night,  dear,  and  God  bless  you. 


September  23. 

Miss  Lyons'  Boom, 
Mt.  Holyoke, 

Sept.  23,  1880. 
Dear  Girls: 

I  intended  a  long  letter,  but  have  only  time  to 
send  you  love  and  promise  to  do  better  soon. 

These  leaves  are  from  the  trees  overhanging  Miss 
Lyon's  grave. 

I  am  enjoying  so  much  here. 

Yours  in  love, 
S.  L.  MILLS. 


To 

Miss  Alice  White, 
For  Senior  Class, 
Mills  Seminary, 

California. 

"Mrs.  Mills  made  a  trip  East  during  the  first 
half  of  my  senior  year,  and  each  day  sent  the  class 
a  line  directed  to  one  of  us  in  turn." 

A.  W.  S. 
Class  of   '81. 


September  24. 

From  words  of  Mrs.  Mills  to  "her  girls,"  May 
the  fourth,  nineteen  hundred  eleven. 

44T  KNOW  you  will  remember  what  I  used  to  say 

I    when  you  went  out  from  us,  'Be  good  and  do 

good,'  and  so  I  say  still.    How  I  would  like  to 

see  you  all,  but  this  I  cannot  expect  until  we  meet 

in  the  dear  Father's  house  above.    Let  us  not  come 

short  there." 

When  we  came  here  in  1871  the  grounds  were 
quite  barren.  *  *  *  When  we  began  the  work 
of  beautifying  the  grounds,  Mr.  Mills  said,  "We 
must  make  it  beautiful  enough  for  the  King's 
daughters,"  and  so  it  is,  I  think. 

Over  eight  thousand  girls  have  come  to  us  since 
we  began  our  work  in  Benicia  in  1865.  They  are 
scattered  so  widely  now,  in  twenty-eight  states  and 
various  countries. 

Not  all  have  been  graduates,  but  all  have  been 
our  dear  girls,  many  of  them  now  home  and  foreign 
missionaries,  founders  of  schools,  good  teachers, 
wives,  and  mothers. 

My  heart  goes  out  in  tenderness  to  all,  including 
the  husbands,  and  dear  little  children.  How  many 
there  are!  The  Lord  bless  them  all. 

Not  a  day  passes  that  my  heart  does  not  go  out 
in  prayer,  earnest  prayer,  that  God  will  bless  every 
one  and  make  each  one  a  blessing. 


September  25. 

MRS.   SUSAN  MILLS  SMITH. 
Mrs.  Mills'  Grand  Niece. 

NO  words  can  express  the  true  greatness  of  Mrs. 
Mills'   life,   and   those   who   were   most   inti- 
mately associated  with   her,  never  cease    to 
marvel  at  her  brightness,  hope,  courage,  strength. 

Frequently,  when  she  felt  most  heavily  bur- 
dened, she  would  call  to  mind  some  helpful 
Scriptural  passage.  So  often  she  would  repeat  the 
words  of  Paul:  "Be  careful  for  nothing,  but  in 
everything  by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanks- 
giving let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God. 
And  the  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  under- 
standing shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds  through 
Christ  Jesus." 

I  recall,  too,  how  beautifully  she  brought  out  this 
text  in  Chapel,  taking  it  phrase  by  phrase  and 
giving  special  emphasis  to  certain  words,  so  that 
the  passage  came  to  have  a  new  meaning  to  all 
of  us. 

No  one  who  ever  attended  Chapel  at  Mills  could 
fail  to  be  touched  by  the  depth  and  beauty  of  her 
prayers.  Seldom  does  one  hear  a  prayer  given  with 
such  sweetness,  sympathy,  and  comprehension,  and 
Mrs.  Mills  in  her  daily  life  sought  to  follow  the 
teachings  of  her  Master. 


September  26. 

MRS.   MILLS'    care    and    thoughtfulness  espe- 
cially  endeared   her   to   students   who   were 
timid   and   lonely.     She   would   always   put 
them  in  the  care  of  an  older  student,  and  saw  to  it 
that  they  were  made  to  feel  most  welcome  and  at 
home.      But   more   than   this,   she   sought   to   make 
them   realize  that   she   had   a   personal   interest  in 
them. 

Often  at  night,  though  worn  and  weary  with  the 
day's  duties,  she  would  go  to  the  room  of  some 
homesick  girl  to  give  her  a  word  of  cheer,  or  to 
carry  some  flowers  or  a  plate  of  fruit. 

She  could  never  keep  anything  for  herself.  If  a 
box  of  fruit  were  sent  to  her,  it  was  immediately 
divided  with  students  or  faculty.  She  was  always 
thinking  of  others,  with  never  a  thought  for  her- 
self. 


Be  careful  for  nothing,  but  in  everything  by  prayer 
and  supplication  with  thanksgiving  let  your  requests  be 
made  known  unto  God.  And  the  peace  of  God  which 
passeth  all  understanding,  shall  keep  your  hearts  and 
minds  through  Christ  Jesus. — Philippians  4:6,  7. 


September  27. 

MOEE  important  and  precious  than  her  efficient 
administration,    was    her    unswerving  devo- 
tion to  the  kingdom  of  God.    Mrs.  Mills  felt 
the  keenest  anxiety  for  each  immortal  soul  under 
her  influence. 

One  of  the  first  things  she  did  after  going  to 
Benicia  was  to  gather  together  in  a  little  room  a 
few  earnest  girls  and  hold,  perhaps,  the  first  prayer 
meeting  that  was  ever  held  in  the  old  school,  other 
than  the  usual  formal  religious  services. 

The  little  prayer  meeting  grew  until  it  had  to  be 
held  in  one  of  the  largest  rooms  in  the  building. 

From  that  time  on,  through  all  the  fifty  years 
while  the  institution  was  under  Mrs.  Mills'  guid- 
ance, the  wonderful  influence  of  this  godly  woman 
was  felt,  and  many  a  young  soul  was  converted  and 
taught  to  follow  her  example,  in  radiating  her 
Master's  purpose. 

There  was  a  definite  purpose  in  everything  she 
did.  She  considered  a  walk  a  waste  of  time  for 
her,  if  it  did  not  lead  her  to  the  gardens,  the 
stables,  or  laundry,  where  she  could  give  necessary 
directions.  Thus,  in  those  Benicia  days,  by  the 
economy  of  time,  one  woman  was  able  to  con- 
scientiously and  intelligently  look  after  her  large 
household,  physically,  mentally,  and  spiritually. 
Beside  all  this  she  found  time  to  dispense  a  charity 
that  made  her  beloved  far  and  wide  by  the  needy 
ones.  She  found  leisure  enough  to  keep  up  a  wide 
circle  of  friends  "and  to  exercise  a  generous  hospi- 
tality." 


September  28. 

NO  one  could  come  face  to  face  with  Mrs.  Mills 
without  feeling  the  strength  and  beauty  of 
her  personality.     Her  intelligent  face  glowed 
with  the  intensity  and  earnestness  of  her  nature. 

There  was  an  old-time  grace  about  her  that  made 
her  manner  distinctly  kind  and  genial.  She  was  at 
all  times  a  very  responsive  woman,  and  it  was  a 
lesson  and  an  inspiration  to  spend  the  day  going 
through  the  city  with  Mrs.  Mills. 

"Her  unobtrusive  kindness,"  for  thus  we  always 
thought  of  it,  was  felt  everywhere.  Every  one  she 
met,  even  those  crusty  and  glum  by  nature,  seemed 
to  respond  to  the  warmth  of  her  greetings,  and  the 
sincerity  of  her  friendly  interest. 

On  the  cars,  in  the  shops,  at  any  gathering, 
whether  the  individuals  were  of  high  or  low  rank, — 
everywhere  it  was  the  same,  and  always  there  was 
that  note  of  mingled  affection  and  respect — a 
respect  she  commanded,  not  only  because  of  her 
position,  and  in  later  years,  because  of  her  vener- 
able age,  but  because  of  that  innate  something 
within  which  impelled  it. 

David  Starr  Jordan  once  wrote  to  her:  "You 
will  let  me  use  the  good  old  word  'revere,'  when  I 
speak  of  you — for  this  word,  with  all  it  means,  is 
yours  by  right." 


September  29. 

DR.     WARREN    LANDON,    President    of     the 
Theological   Seminary  at    San    Anselmo,  has 
kindly  sent  these  and  other  letters  from  Mrs. 
Mills,  for  such  use  as  may  be  required. 


Mills  College,  California. 
May  2,  1910. 
My  Dear  Dr.  Landon: — 

I  write  now  just  to  say  that  I  am  so  glad  you  are 
to  be  made  the  President  of  the  Theological  Sem- 
inary. It  belongs  properly  to  you. 

******  * 

I  was  sorry  not  to  attend  the  closing  exercises, 
but  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  do  so.  I  am  glad  to 
feel  that  you  are  going  to  be  permanent  on  this 
Coast.  The  Lord  bless  you  and  direct  you  in  all 
your  ways. 

With  very  best  wishes,  believe  me, 

Yours  very  sincerely, 
S.  L.  MILLS. 
Under  date  of  December  30,  1910,  she  writes: 

"I  have  been  intending  *  *  *  to  write  and 
congratulate  you  upon  becoming  President  of  the 
Theological  Seminary  and  to  express  my  best 
wishes  for  you  in  your  good  work  before  you  as 
well  as  my  sympathy  in  the  trials  that  will  come  to 
you  also.  The  Lord  bless  you  in  all  your  work 
and  way.  *  *  *  " 


September  30. 

Mills  College. 


Dear  Dr.: — 


I  want  to  thank  you  at  once  for  the  article  you 
have  written  for  the  Presbyterian — so  good. 

I  have  ordered  a  number  to  send  to  friends.  It 
is  just  right. 

We  are  so  afflicted  in  the  death  of  our  dear  Prof. 
Keep.  He  has  been  like  a  son  to  me  for  twenty-five 
years.  So  fine  a  teacher.  Mary  will  tell  you,  and 
such  a  devoted,  lovely  Christian — helpful  every- 
where. 

Whom  can  we  get  in  his  place?    Pray  for  us. 

Kind  regards  to  you  all. 

S.  L.  MILLS. 


It  needs  only  a  glance  at  these  letters  to  show 
that  the  last  one  was  written  by  Mrs.  Mills  herself, 
in  her  own  characteristic  way,  while  the  others  were 
dictated  and  completed  in  form  by  the  stenogra- 
pher. It  is  a  regret  that  her  penmanship  in  the 
above  letter  cannot  here  be  given  in  fac-siraile. 


A 


October  1. 

LETTEE  from  a  mother  after  the  graduation 
of  her  daughter. 

Dear  Mrs.  Mills. 

I  was  sorry  to  leave  yesterday  without  saying 
good-bye  to  you  personally,  but  I  could  not  find 
you  in  the  crowd,  and  as  I  had  promised  to  drive 
home  with  a  lady  friend,  I  was  hurried  in  my  leav- 
ing. 

But  if  I  had  seen  you,  it  would  have  given  me 
no  opportunity  to  express  my  feelings  in  the 
smallest  degree.  I  could  not  have  safely  dared  to 
attempt  to  say  all  that  my  heart  prompted. 

Even  during  the  Commencement  exercises,  tears 
often  filled  my  eyes — flowing  from  mingled  emotions 
of  pride,  gratitude,  sadness,  regrets,  and  tender 
memories,  which  absorbed  my  thoughts  to  such  an 
extent  that  they  rendered  me,  at  times,  entirely 
oblivious  to  surrounding  circumstances. 

We  are  painfully  conscious  under  some  conditions, 
that  we  live  double  lives.  One  of  outward  appear- 
ance— of  the  senses — of  the  Present.  The  other — 
the  truer  self — depending  on  the  emotions — founded 
on  the  Past — looking  toward  the  Future.  I  lived 
more  in  the  latter  state  of  existence,  during  those 
two  days,  than  in  the  enjoyment  and  beauty  of  the 
actual  occasion. 


October  2. 

DEAR   and   honored   friend;    I  cannot  put   into 
words  the  sense  of  indebtedness  I  feel  toward 
you  and  the  grand  Institution  that  has  done 
so  much  for  my  child's  welfare  and  happiness.    Her 
life    has   been    enriched   by   your   generosity;    that 
she  may  prove  fully  worthy  of  it,  is  my  earnest 
heart-felt  prayer. 

It  grieves  me  deeply  to  realize  how  little  I  am 
able  at  present  to  do  in  return,  but  it  shall  be  a 
sacred  obligation  to  repay  the  debt  sooner  or 
later,  and  to  return  in  a  suitable  manner  the  help 
so  generously  and  nobly  given  to  my  child  at  the 
period  of  her  life  when  it  was  of  the  greatest  use 
and  advantage. 

I  will  not  make  promises  that  must  depend  on 
others  for  fulfillment  but  hope,  through  my  own 
efforts,  to  meet  all  just  obligations. 

We  rejoice  to  feel  that  you  are  looking  forward 
to  a  happy  reunion  with  old  schoolmates.  May 
blessings  attend  you! 

Lovingly  yours, 


D 


EAE  Mrs.  Mills: 


October  3. 

Sunday,  Jan.  29. 


I  was  thinking  of  you  all  this  morning,  and 
wishing  I  could  be  with  you  this  afternoon 
for  church  and  this  evening  for  one  of  the  meetings. 
I  never  forget  them,  and  I  often  think  how 
much  good  they  did  us,  and  how  willing  the  girls 
were  to  speak  for  Christ  or  say  a  word  to  help  and 
comfort  some  lonely  one. 

If  they  only  realized  while  at  school  what  a 
splendid  beginning  they  could  make  in  their  Chris- 
tian life,  what  a  firm  foundation  they  could  build 
with  all  the  kind  and  anxious  ones  to  help  them, 
they  would  not  let  the  opportunity  slip,  for  such 
a  chance  never,  I  think,  could  come  again. 

I  have  never  met  with  the  whole-heartedness  and 
loving  kindness  that  bound  us  together  so  perfectly, 
any  place  else. 

As  it  is  always  hard  to  get  different  ones  to  take 
the  meetings  for  prayer  in  our  societies,  it  usually 
falls  to  the  lot  of  some  of  us  to  do  it  a  number  of 
times. 

I  always  take  it  when  I  am  asked,  and  I  always 
feel  a  little  as  if  I  were  back  at  my  dear  school 
again. 

I  still  have  my  sewing  class  on  Saturday  morn- 
ings, and  now  have  been  there  long  enough  to  have 
the  children  fond  of  me.  I  had  them  down  here 
at  the  hotel  during  the  Christmas  vacation;  had 
a  tree  for  them,  and  some  ice  cream  and  candy. 
They  seemed  to  enjoy  it.  I  hope  to  have  them 
again  before  going  away  for  the  summer. 

There  are  so  many  things  to  do  in  New  York, 
and  so  much  done,  that  one  feels  as  if  she  were 
really  living,  but  oh!  how  much  more  we  should  do! 
******* 

The  calendar  is  a  sweet  reminder  of  school.  I 
keep  it  on  my  desk,  and  it  brings  up  lots  of  sweet 
remembrances.  You  are  always  so  thoughtful  of 
us,  and  we  appreciate  it  with  all  our  hearts. 

With  love,  believe  me,  yours  devotedly, 


October  4. 

THE  spirit  of  what  Mrs.  Mills  urged  upon  her 
girls  lingers  in  the  text  of  one  of  the  Bacca- 
laureate sermons,  "And  thou  shalt  be  a  bless- 
ing";   also   in   this  appreciation,  "She  hath   done 
what  she  could." 

Her  hospitality  was  a  household  word.  Guests 
who  drove  out  to  the  concerts  and  to  commence- 
ment were  invited  after  the  exercises,  to  tables 
bountifully  spread  with  cold  meats,  hot  rolls,  coffee, 
tea,  berries  with  cream,  frosted  cake,  and  fruits. 
Where  could  we  expect  anything  like  that  nowf 

The  atmosphere  of  the  school  was  that  of  a  home. 
Each  girl's  birthday  was  honored  by  a  cake  which 
Wo  as  greatly  delighted  to  bake  as  Mrs.  Mills  to 
give. 

Two,  whose  homes  had  been  broken  up,  were 
married  with  all  the  sweet  home  ceremony — one  in 
Seminary  Chapel,  and  one  out  under  the  oaks. 

The  study  of  Domestic  Science  was  an  uncharted 
field  in  the  earlier  days,  but  in  her  weekly  talks 
to  her  girls,  Mrs.  Mills  urged  upon  them  the  import- 
ance of  economy  and  efficiency,  and  gave  them 
many  helpful  suggestions  as  to  the  true  way  of 
making  home  happy  by  their  presence. 

It  troubled  Mrs.  Mills  to  have  the  impression 
prevail  that  Mills  girls  dressed  elaborately  and 
expensively,  for  she  practiced  and  advocated  sim- 
plicity. 

A  visitor,  who  had  raised  the  question,  was  asked 
to  stand  where  she  could  see  the  girls  as  they 
passed,  and  to  point  out  such  as  seemed  to  justify 
her  criticism.  One  was  singled  out  from  the  rest, 
and  Mrs.  Mills  delighted  to  tell  that  this  girl  had 
ripped,  sponged,  and  pressed  the  goods  and  made 
the  dress  she  wore.  Her  cleverness  and  bearing 
had  won  for  her  a  distinction. 


October  5. 

OME    of     my    happiest     girlhood     recollections 
|     were  with  Mrs.  Mills  at  dear  Mills  College. 


My  dear,  dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

Your  dear  long  letter  came  a  few  days  ago. 
How  glad  I  was  to  get  it,  and  hear  all  about  Mills 
and  the  dear  friends  there! 

Life  out  in  the  world  is  very  different  from  that 
life  there,  and  yet  while  one  could  not  wish  to  be 
always  so  protected,  one  must  be  thankful  for  the 
poise  and  preparation  received  there. 

I  have  plenty  to  do;  am  working  hard  all  day, 
and  yet  each  night  seems  to  see  nothing  done.  I 
have  a  large  house.  All  the  homes  here  are  large 
rambling  affairs  built  after  the  old  Spanish  style. 

How  I  wish  I  had  a  big  bank  account  from 
which  I  could  draw  and  do  something  for  Mills, 
but  you  know  how  little  a  missionary  has  and  how 
many  demands  he  has.  Later  I  am  hoping  to  send 
a  little  gift,  and  though  very  small,  I  know  every 
little  helps,  and  I  am  sure  no  big  sum  could  be 
given  with  any  more  love. 


October  6. 

MY   latest   is   a   Temperance    Society   for   poor 
boys.     I   have   twenty  now,   and   have  put 
them  to  making  cork  picture  frames  for  the 
benefit    of    the    society.      Boys    have   to    be    doing 
something,  and  they  seem  very  much  interested  in 
this. 

With  us  winter  is  just  beginning,  and  with  you 
such  a  wealth  of  flowers.  How  I  should  love  to 
go  through  the  old  grounds  and  just  be  free  to 
pick  my  fill  of  the  dainty  blossoms.  I  have  never 
seen  anything  in  my  life  like  the  Mills  roses. 

You  should  see  my  little  boy!  He  is  such  a  dear 
chubby  fellow.  .  .  .  He  is  a  great  comfort  to  me. 
I  shall  send  a  photo  later. 


Your  letter  was  a  great  comfort.  I  owe  you  so 
much — unspeakable. 

What  I  received  at  Mills  is  not  to  be  measured 
nor  calculated  in  dollars  and  cents;  and  the  more 
I  see  of  life,  and  the  longer  I  live,  the  more  thank- 
ful I  am  for  all  I  received  while  there. 

Again  much  love,  my  dear  Mrs.  Mills. 
Very  lovingly  yours, 


October  7. 

A  Greeting  from  President  Mills  for  the  College 
Magazine. 

AGBEETING     from     me     is     asked     for     the 
Alumnae.    What  can  I  say  in  this  brief  space 
of  all  that  is  in  my  heart!     How  I  wish  I 
could  look  into  every  one  of  your  dear  faces,  hear 
again  your  merry  voices,  and  give  you  the  greeting 
that  is  in  my  heart. 

How  the  years  slip  away  as  I  recall  the  school- 
girl names,  and  go  back  in  memory  to  the  happy 
days  when  you  were  our  pupils,  and  our  loving 
daughters!  How  widely  you  are  scattered,  and 
how  varied  have  been  your  lives! 

Very  many  of  you  have  been  successful  teachers; 
all  of  you  useful  in  the  community,  the  Sabbath- 
school  and  the  church,  in  organizations,  religious 
and  literary  and  benevolent — almost  numberless. 

Many  of  you  are  good  doctors,  nurses,  librarians, 
lecturers,  writers,  musicians.  Many  of  you  occupy 
important  positions  as  presidents  of  clubs  and 
societies;  but  best  of  all,  a  host  of  you  are  good 
wives  and  mothers.  Many  of  you  are  grandmothers, 
and  some  great  grandmothers. 

Of  our  seven  hundred  graduates,  very  few — not 
fifty  in  number — have  been  called  from  us  to  the 
Better  Land. 


October  8. 

THE  testimony  that  comes  to  us  from  you  all 
has  done  our  hearts  good.     More  anxious  we 
were  to  have  you  true,  noble,  winsome  women 
than  to   have  you  known  among  the  world's  dis- 
tinguished   ones.      You    have    honored   us   at   home 
and  abroad,  and  we  thank  you. 

How  I  wish  I  had  done  more  and  better  for  you 
when  I  had  the  opportunity,  but  I  assure  you  I 
thing  of  you,  love  you,  and  pray  for  you  every  day. 

I  have  sympathized  with  you  in  your  sorrows, 
and  rejoiced  with  you  in  your  joys. 

Come  and  visit  your  Alma  Mater  whenever  you 
can.  A  warm  welcome  in  house  and  heart  awaits 
you  always. 

Be  loyal!  I  know  you  will.  Lend  your  help, 
and  stimulate  others  to  help  your  Alma  Mater  so 
that  she  may  be  all  she  should  for  you,  California, 
and  the  world. 


October  9. 

TIME  and  busy  cares  temporarily  dim  many  of 
the  words  that  were  not  only  indelibly  writ- 
ten upon  my  memory,  but  became  a  part  of 
my  young  life.  Coming  as  your  letter  did,  a  sweet 
surprise  to  me  in  my  own  little  home  where  baby 
voices  keep  mother  busy,  away  from  Mills  and  the 
girls,  and  all  that  life  I  held  so  dear,  I  am  utterly 
at  loss  to  recall  on  the  moment  just  what  our  be- 
loved one  used  to  say.  I  can  see  her,  and  I  can 
hear  her,  and  I  shall  always  remember  and  abide 
by  the  lessons  of  her  personal  training,  but  I  can 
think  only  of  times  and  places,  when  and  where  I 
was  most  impressed  by  her  wonderfully  magnetic 
and  commanding  personality. 

Realizing  the  inestimable  value  of  coming  more 
closely  in  contact  with  Mrs.  Mills,  I  sometimes 
went  to  her  room  on  Friday  evenings,  if  I  thought 
she  was  not  pre-oceupied. 

Often  I  stood  and  waited — Teddy  ready  to  spring 
at  my  white  shoes,  for  he  disliked  them  quite  as 
much  as  did  Mrs.  Mills.  Finally  I  would  hear, 
"Just  a  moment,  dear,  then  you  may  come  in." 

Whenever  I  went  into  Mrs.  Mills'  hall  it  was 
with  nervous  expectancy.  The  going  seemed  ter- 
rible, but  once  in,  Mrs.  Mills  holding  my  hand  and 
looking  straight  into  my  eyes,  I  felt  I  had  awakened 
in  spiritual  surroundings,  and  the  light  was  dawn- 
ing on  all  that  previously  seemed  dark. 

Often  she  spoke  to  me  of  joining  the  church. 
One  night  she  sent  for  me,  and  said:  "My  dear, 
why  are  you  not  a  member  of  our  church  f  You 
know  I  want  all  of  my  girls  to  be  professed  Chris- 
tians before  they  go  into  the  world."  I  said,  "I 
should  like  to  be,  but  I  cannot  believe  in  all."  She 
said,  "Why  if  God  can  make  a  little  flower  so 
perfect  and  beautiful,  and  we  know  He  can,  you 
must  surely  believe  in  the  wonder  of  His  work 
in  the  human  heart,  as  well." 


October  10. 

1   THINK  that  Mrs.  Mills  was  never  more  lovely 
than  at  my  first  Alumnae  Luncheon  when  she 
stood  up  to  speak  to  her  girls.     In  tones  half- 
whispering  as  she  tired  at  the  end,  she  told  us  that 
altho'    she    was    to    be    succeeded    by   Dr.    Carson, 
she   wanted  us  all  to   feel  that  Mills  is  ever  our 
home,   and   although   she  might   not  be  present  to 
welcome  us  again,  she  wished  us  all  to  come  back 
and   feel   just   the   same,   free   and   happy,  and  be 
just  as  sweet  to  Dr.  Carson  as  we  had  been  to  her. 

How  often  she  said,  "I  want  my  girls  to  make 
good  wives  and  mothers.  Most  of  them  are  wives 
and  mothers,  and  I  am  glad." 

Then  she  would  tell  of  the  one  girl  who  had  ten 
sons — wasn't  it!  and  three  daughters,  and  would 
show  the  picture,  and  tell  how  proud  she  was  of 
them.  I  can  see  her  cock  her  head  a  bit  to  one 
side,  smile — Oh!  ever  so  sweetly — and  say,  with 
slightly  pursed  lips,  "And  I  am  proud  of  the 
mother. ' ' 

She  would  often  tell  us  we  must  keep  accounts 
in  order  to  make  efficient  wives  and  mothers. 

I  could  write  on  endlessly  of  my  own  experiences 
while  Mrs.  Mills  was  supervising  my  bringing  up; 
always  teaching  me  to  be  careful  and  cautious — 
not  alone  of  my  laundry,  but  of  my  health. 

How  well  I  remember  the  morning  after  prayers 
that  she  sent  me  to  change  my  waist  because  the 
weather  was  cold,  and  my  sleeves  were  short. 

I  fear  all  these  are  too  personal;  I  can  only  say 
that  Mills  to  me  cannot  be  Mills  without  that  One 
who  was  the  essence  of  all  that  was  grand  and 
noble — an  earthly  example  of  the  word  Love. 


October  11. 

NOT   often  is  it  permitted  to  have  the  sun  in 
life's  day  not  only  stand  still,  but  also  re- 
treat backwards  many  degrees. 
No    day    seems   to    have    quite    hours   enough   in 
which  to  accomplish  all  one  desires  ere  set  of  sun. 
Yet  days  slip  into  weeks;  and  years,  decades,  sud- 
denly confront  us!    Since  when?    Childhood!  Youth! 
Oh!  those  blessed  long-flown  times! 

"I  would  I  were  a  boy  again,"  and  "Backward, 
turn  backward,  O,  time  in  your  flight,  make  me  a 
child  again  just  for  tonight"  spring  to  the  lips  of 
men  and  women,  as  a  wave  of  homesickness  for  the 
long  ago  surges  over  them.  Even  memory  is  not 
given  much  opportunity  to  comfort  one  long;  it  is 
soon  lost  in  the  demands  of  the  present. 

Into  lives  full  and  crowded  with  all  the  respon- 
sibilities and  cares  of  middle  life  has  now  entered 
one  whose  simple  presence  has  revolutionized  the 
calendar  for  us. 

By  the  quiet  wave  of  her  magic  hand  all  the  web 
spun  by  three  decades,  and  more,  has  vanished. 

We  stand  on  the  shores  of  our  youth  again,  and 
who  is  there  of  us  whose  heart  is  not  thrilling 
today  with  all  the  feelings  of  that  period. 


October  12. 

THE  coining  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  to  Punahou 
marked    a    new    era    in    its    existence.     For 
several  months,  the  school  had  been  without 
a    President    and    a    warm    welcome    awaited    the 
arrival  of  one. 

We  cannot  forget  the  thrill  of  excitement  that 
pervaded  the  school,  as  for  the  first  time  we  saw 
Mr.  Mills  upon  the  platform  and  Mrs.  Mills  beside 
him. 

We  did  not  suppose  we  should  have  much  to 
do  with  her — in  time,  we  might  perhaps  make  her 
acquaintance,  but  our  attention  was  centered  that 
first  morning  upon  our  new  President. 

Within  a  few  days,  however,  a  pleasant  greet- 
ing and  inquiry  from  Mrs.  Mills  as  to  whether  this 
was  Emma  Smith  or  Mary  Ellen  Andrews,  assured 
us  she  was  losing  no  time  in  meeting  every  one  of 
the  pupils  and  establishing  a  preliminary  acquaint- 
ance. 

In  a  few  days,  we  heard  that  Mrs.  Mills  was  to 
teach  some  of  the  classes.  We  were  not  sure 
whether  we  liked  the  idea.  We  had  never  had  a 
lady  teacher,  and  there  was  no  experience  to  assist 
us  in  this  new  departure. 

But  it  did  not  take  her  long  to  capture  the  citadel 
of  every  heart.  Words  are  too  weak  to  tell  of  the 
magical  power  she  exercised  over  her  pupils. 

The  doors  she  opened,  the  windows  she  flung 
wide,  the  material  she  discovered  and  brought  to 
the  front  to  work  upon! 


October  13. 

THE   joy  of  growth,   development,  achievement 
was  beyond   expression.     It  was  such  a  de- 
light to  follow  her  leading.     She  aroused  the 
very  best  that  was  in  one.     She  never  permitted  a 
moment's    discouragement.      Ever    and    always   we 
were  to  try. 

The  ambitions  of  my  life,  I  trace  to  the  spirit 
of  her  influence  during  those  precious  years. 

She  made  the  social  life  so  bright  and  pleasant 
among  the  boarders.  She  had  a  marvelous  way  of 
finding  out  the  birthdays  of  the  pupils,  and  remem- 
bering them  with  a  large  birthday  cake  in  which 
every  one  shared  when  the  evening  study  hour  was 
over. 

Even  the  day  scholars  were  not  forgotten.  From 
time  to  time  some  one  would  be  invited  to  stay  all 
night,  and  then  in  the  social  hour  would  appear  the 
celebrated  cake.  One  evening  there  were  three 
cakes,  three  birthdays  being  remembered  together. 

Memories  cluster  so  rapidly — words  are  too  few 
in  which  to  voice  all  the  depth  and  tenderness  that 
cling  to  each. 

Forever  inwoven  with  our  beautiful  youth;  for- 
ever a  part  of  the  lives  we  have  rounded  out  in 
later  years,  we  can  now  only  say: 

For  aye  and  for  aye  will  we  cherish  thee,  shrine 

thee — 

Before  thee  swing  incense  of  loyal  devotion — 
Behind  thee,  will  follow  with  consecrate  striving, 
The  world  to  uplift,  through  a  like  inspiration. 


October  14. 

Feb.  9,  1909. 

MY  dear  Miss  H . 
Yesterday  I  paid  a  visit  to  Mills  College. 
How  can  I  thank  you  sufficiently  for  your 
letter   of    introduction    to    Mrs.    Mills — one    of   the 
most,  if  not  the  most,  remarkable  women  I  have 
ever  met. 

All  in  all,  I  say  the  most  remarkable  woman. 

I  never  spent  a  half  day  so  full  of  interest  as  the 
time  I  spent  there. 

The  woman — so  remarkable  in  herself  and  her 
work — well,  I  shall  never  see  the  like  again.  I 
am  most  happy  to  have  met  such  a  rare  woman, 
and  to  have  seen  the  school — such  an  ideal  school  in 
every  particular. 

I  need  not  tell  you  that  your  name  at  the  school 
is  loved  and  honored,  and  the  fact  that  you  intro- 
duced me  to  Mrs.  Mills  gave  me  a  welcome  that  I 
seldom  get  anywhere.  Wherever  we  went  about 
the  buildings  or  grounds,  if  we  met  teacher  or 
servant,  she  would  say,  "This  is  a  friend  of  Miss 
Hatch,"  then  a  pleasant  smile  or  word.  .  .  . 

Mrs.  Mills  took  me  into  the  small  dining-room 
and  showed  me  where  you  used  to  sit;  into  the 
pantry,  and  showed  me  the  bread.  The  house  is 
so  home-like — pictures,  flowers,  pretty  home  things 
everywhere.  What  a  home  it  is  for  girls!  The 
lawn  reminded  me  more  of  an  English  lawn  than 
anything  I  have  seen  in  this  country. 

Before  I  left  we  returned  to  her  room,  and  the 
maid  brought  us  in  tea  and  cakes.  Mrs.  Mills 
walked  with  me  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  the  way 
to  the  station,  her  pet,  "Teddie, "  was  with  her. 
She  seems  to  be  in  very  good  health,  is  very  active 
in  her  duties,  and  seems  so  happy. 

I  think  no  woman  ever  so  impressed  me  with  her 
great  moral  worth,  her  unselfish  life,  her  life  of 
the  noblest  sentiments  as  has  this  truly  great 
woman.  I  am  so  glad,  so  very  glad  to  have  met 
her. 

With  much  love, 


October  15. 

A      TYPE  of  good  heroic  womanhood." 
Mrs.   Mills   stood  to   me  for  all  that  is 
noble  and  good.     The  Christian  welfare  of 
each  girl  in  her  keeping  seemed  to  be  of  vital  im- 
portance to  her. 

While  traveling  in  the  East  a  few  years  ago,  I 
met  a  lady  who  had  attended  Mills  College  for  a 
short  time.  During  our  conversation  I  said  that 
upon  my  return  I  would  tell  Mrs.  Mills  I  had  met 
and  talked  with  one  of  her  old  pupils.  She  replied, 
"I  don't  believe  she  would  remember  me." 

When  I  did  see  Mrs.  Mills,  and  told  her  of  meet- 
ing this  lady,  she  remembered  her  very  distinctly, 
which  goes  to  prove  that  her  personal  interest  was 
certainly  in  the  individual. 

I  personally  feel  that  through  Mrs.  Mills'  loving 
generosity,  my  daughter  has  had  the  foundation 
laid  of  a  good  and  noble  womanhood.  Often  in  the 
daily  affairs  of  life,  I  hear  her  say,  "Mrs.  Mills 
told  us  to  do  thus  or  so."  "Mrs.  Mills  would  never 
allow  us  to"  so  and  so.  It  is  thus  her  influence 
for  good  will  live  on  and  on. 

The  day  I  had  Mrs.  Mills  as  my  guest  to  view 
from  our  window  the  parade  in  honor  of  our  be- 
loved President  McKinley  was  indeed  a  memorable 
one;  a  day  which  it  will  always  be  to  me  a  joy 
to  remember. 

Her  charming  graciousness  as  a  guest  in  our 
humble  home  was  indeed  a  lesson  such  as  the 
Savior  and  Teacher  of  all  mankind  tried  to  instill 
into  the  hearts  of  His  followers — that  of  meekness 
and  tenderness. 

The  good  that  Mrs.  Mills  spent  her  life  to  accom- 
plish will  live  forever  and  ever,  for  "it  is  only 
the  good  that  we  do  and  embody  that  is  really 
worth  while,"  one  great  writer  has  so  well  said. 

Indeed,  I  appreciate  this  opportunity  to  express 
some  few  words  of  that  Grand  Good  Woman, 
Mrs.  Mills. 


October  16. 

AQUILA  TOLMAN 

Born  1705;  died  1771. 

Mrs.  Mills'   Paternal  Great  Grandfather.. 

One  man  among  a  thousand  have  I  found. — Ecclesiastei 
7:28. 

For  God  pivc-tli  to  a  man  that  is  good  in  his  eight 
wisdom,  and  knowledge,  and  joy. — Ecclesiastes  2:26. 


THE  SONG  AT  THE  WHEEL. 

A  bird  with  its  glory  of  plumage 

Flew  in  at  the  kitchen  door; 
He  perched  on  the  kitchen  table 

While  I  scrubbed  at  the  kitchen  floor  ^ 
And  he  flooded  each  nook  and  corner 

With  the  song  from  his  swelling  throat, 
Till  my  soul  forgetting  its  bondage, 

Found  its  own,  in  each  kindred  note. 

O,  Spirit  of  song  and  beauty! 

Thou  immortal,  with  touch  that's  divine! 
Not  our  toil  at  the  Wheel  can  withhold  thee 

From  the  hearts  thou  knowest  as  thine. 
Sing  on,  O  my  soul,  sing  forever, 

'Midst  the  grime  and  the  grind  of  my  life, 
Like  the  bird  that  sang  his  sweet  message 

Unheeding  the  sordid  strife. 

Sing  on,  till  these  walls  are  resplendent 

With  groinings  of  golden  glow; 
Till  this  humble  door  is  a  portal 

Where  angels  shall  come  and  go. 
Sing  on,  in  the  joy  of  thy  birthright, 

Unhurt  by  the  cares  that  are  mine; 
Sing  on,  O,  my  soul!  sing  forever, 

For  God  and  His  worlds  are  thine. 

AMELIA    WOODWARD    TRUESDELL. 


Dear  Mrs.  Mills, 


October  17. 

May  22, 


I  want  to  thank  you  for  the  year  I  have  just 
had  at  the  College;  I  feel  I  can  never  fully  express 
my  thanks  either  in  words  or  actions,  for  what  has 
been  given  me  includes  not  only  my  instruction, 
my  delightful  relations  with  students  and  teachers, 
but  something  that  comes  in  all  and  with  all,  that 
makes  me  feel  I  am  truly  gaining  that  which  will 
be  a  sustaining  power  in  my  life  forever. 

As  I  have  come  to  know  you  better  from  your 
talks  to  us  as  a  school  and  from  my  own  talks 
with  you,  you  have  become  more  and  more  an  in- 
spiration to  me;  one  of  my  most  cherished  hopes 
for  next  year  is  that  I,  as  one  of  your  senior  girls, 
may  come  to  know  you  even  better  still. 

The  College,  too,  grows  dearer  to  me!  I  am  truly 
proud  of  her,  and  it  is  my  earnest  prayer  that  I 
may  to  some  degree  be  worthy  of  her. 


I  trust  that  you  will  have  a  pleasant  restful 
vacation.  I  expect  to  remain  at  home,  but  a  sum- 
mer at  home  is  always  delightful. 

Devotedly  yours, 


October  18. 

An  Expression  of  My  Esteem  for,  and  Devotion  to, 
Mrs.  Mills. 

WE    loved     her — because    she   loved    us.     She 
touched  the  heart  of  every  young  girl  who 
knew    her.     The    sweetest    influence    came 
from  her  words  and  her  life. 

Work  and  study  were  encouraged,  sweet  and 
refined  thoughts  were  ever  given. 

The  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  her  prayers  at 
eventide,  and  the  beautiful  hymns  sung  by  the 
many  happy  girls,  were  an  inspiration  and  some- 
thing never  to  be  forgotten  by  those  who  were 
under  her  guidance. 

The  Christian  life  was  made  so  plain  and  so 
beautiful  that  one  could  not  help  accepting  the 
thoughts  she  gave. 

May  her  good  work  go  on,  and  may  those  in 
authority  be  blessed  in  the  understanding  so  wisely 
carried  on  these  many  years  by  our  beloved 
Mrs.  Mills. 


Every  one  loved  her.  She  was  like  some  great 
general  in  making  people  love  her,  and  serve  her. 

She  was  a  mother  to  all,  and  that  is  why,  all 
over  the  world,  thousands  of  her  "girls"  think  of 
Mrs.  Mills,  smile  reminiscently,  then  sigh  to  think 
that  such  a  great  life  has  come  to  an  earthly  end. 

May  her  work  go  on  and  on  in  praise  of  her! 


October  19. 


Dear,  dear  Mrs.  Mills, 

I  am  so  disappointed  to  have  to  leave  without 
seeing  you.  In  my  present  state  of  mind  I'd 
probably  drown  you,  for  it  is  all  I  can  do  to  say 
good-bye  to  dear  old  Mills  and  all  its  dear  people; 
but  I  did  want  to  express  my  heartfelt  apprecia- 
tion of  the  kindness  that  has  been  showered  upon 
me  every  day  since  I  came,  and  to  let  you  know 
how  much  I  love  you,  and  all  you  stand  for. 

My  privilege  has  indeed  been  great,  and  all  the 
more  precious  because  it  was  never  dreamed  of  as 
possible  four  years  ago.  And  now  I  am  going 
home,  and  begin  to  repay  all  that  I  possibly  can. 

One  thing  I  can  do  this  summer,  and  that  is, 
collect  minerals  for  Prof.  Keep's  mineralogy  class 
and  send  them  from  time  to  time.  I  cannot  help 
financially,  as  much  as  my  heart  longs  to,  but  I 
can  and  will  give  a  great  deal  in  loyalty.  .  .  . 

My  heart  is  full  and  it  is  hard  to  say  good-bye, 
but  I  must.  May  these  last  years  be  full  of  peace 
and  joy  for  you  as  the  reward  for  the  happiness 
you  have  shed  in  our  little  home. 

Yours  most  lovingly, 


October  20. 

MY  first  recollection  of  Mrs.  Mills  is  of  seeing 
her   as   a   supposed    visitor  in   our    Mental 
Arithmetic  class  in  Benicia,  little  supposing 
that  she  was  soon  to  play  so  important  a  part  in 
our  school  life. 

Very  shortly  after,  October  20,  1865,  Mrs.  Mills 
established  the  delightful  custom  of  providing  a 
birthday  cake  for  each  pupil  in  her  turn.  Mine  was 
the  first,  a  fact  that  Mrs.  Mills  always  remembered, 
as  needless  to  say,  I  did  also. 

It  was  such  a  surprise,  too!  We  had  been  for 
a  moonlight  walk  to  the  beach — a  rare  treat,  and 
upon  our  return,  were  ushered  into  one  of  the  reci- 
tation rooms  where  a  large  frosted  cake  in  honor 
of  my  birthday  was  awaiting  us.  There  was  some 
pretty  little  ceremony  in  connection  therewith,  but 
the  cake  was  the  principal  thing. 

For  many  years  thereafter  there  was  a  cake  for 
every  birthday.  So  I  always  feel  that  Mrs.  Mills' 
memory  should  be  linked  with  the  birthday  idea; 
she  made  so  much  of  it. 

As  I  have  been  thinking  of  Mrs.  Mills  in  con- 
nection with  this  memorial,  and  of  the  good  she 
was  so  constantly  doing  in  so  whole-hearted  and 
generous  a  way,  it  has  also  come  most  forcibly  to 
me  that  I  cannot  think  of  her  as  ever  saying  the 
bitter  or  unforgiving  word.  "I  am  sorry  that  she 
feels  so,"  or  "That  it  has  happened,"  and  the 
pathos  of  her  voice  expressed  more  than  the  words, 
when  some  one  had  failed  to  understand  her  or 
had  repaid  her  kindness  with  forgetfulness  or  in- 
gratitude. 

Neither  did  she  treasure  it  up  or  retaliate;  her 
forgiveness  was  complete. 

So  many  failed  her,  too,  I  have  often  wondered 
how  she  could  give  herself,  her  time,  her  strength, 
her  means  so  trustingly;  so  spontaneously. 

(See  May  31) 


October  21. 

THE  Twenty-third  Psalm  was  a  great  favorite 
with  her.    The  book  of  John  she  could  almost 
repeat,    also    much     of     the    other     gospels. 
"Abide  with  Me"  and  "Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds 
our  hearts  in  Christian  love"  were  never  omitted 
on    those    Sunday    evenings    when,   favorite    hymns 
were  selected. 

One  day  I  was  asked  why  I  wore  a  silk  dress 
and  velvet  basque  for  school.  I  said  I  had  nothing 
else.  Mrs.  Mills  replied,  "Poor  Flora  MeFlimsey, " 
and  I  soon  discarded  the  dress.  I  think  it  was  on 
this  occasion,  too,  when  Mrs.  Mills  said  that  other 
girls  would  be  more  comfortable  if  some  of  us 
wore  plainer  clothes,  that  I  said  "I  didn't  think." 
I  shall  never  forget  the  snap  of  fire  from  those 
wonderful  eyes  as  I  was  taken  by  both  arms  with 
a  half -shake  and  a  half  smile,  "My  child,  you  are 
here  to  think. ' '  That  sentence  was  so  much  to 
me. 

I  always  loved  Mrs.  Mills.  One  night  late  I  was 
sent  to  her  to  report,  having  been  an  accomplice  in 
some  prank.  After  talking  a  moment,  she  noticed 
that  I  was  cold  and  chilly.  She  ran  into  her  office, 
came  out  with  a  glass  of  port  wine,  had  me  drink 
it,  then  sent  me  to  bed  without  another  word. 
That  ended  my  pranks. 

Mrs.  Mills'  corrections  and  admonitions  were 
always  so  just,  so  deserved,  and  so  tactfully  given 
that  I  could  but  think  of  all  she  had  to  forgive  and 
be  patient  with,  and  so  during  my  seven  terms 
under  her  I  never  felt  a  particle  of  fear  or  awe  in 
any  way.  By  the  many  thoughtful  things  she  said 
to  me  and  of  me,  I  am  sure  she  knew  and  under- 
stood and  appreciated  this. 


October  22. 

My  dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

When  I  say  good-bye  to  you  tomorrow,  I  know 
that  words  will  wholly  desert  me.  At  no  time  can 
I  find  those  that  will  even  begin  to  tell  you  the 
feeling  of  my  heart. 

I  only  pray  to  God  a  fervent  prayer  that  you 
may  realize  my  gratitude  and  my  love,  and  the 
depths  of  them. 

I  pray,  too — often  and  often — and  I  shall  not 
stop  that  praying,  that  some  way  may  be  given 
me  of  proving  my  gratitude.  If  in  my  Art  study, 
I  in  any  way  succeed,  it  will  be  because  you  have 
given  me  this  rich  beginning. 

All  that  my  life  is  with  all  that  is  in  its  future, 
has  been  moulded  and  shaped  here.  I  have  worked 
imperfectly,  with  so  very  many  faults,  but  with 
all  my  heart  I  have  tried  to  receive  and  to  make 
my  own,  the  great  things  that  have  been  given  me. 

My  constant  prayer  is  for  you — for  your  joy  in 
the  realization  of  the  magnificent  work  that  you 
have  done  and  are  doing — and  for  Mills  College — 
for  those  gifts  that  will  make  it  what  you  and  these 
others  who  so  earnestly  work  with  you,  wish  it  to 
be. 

With  my  love  and  my  gratefulness, 

Mills  College, 
May  23,  1907. 


October  23. 

«|V  /I  AY  our  Lord  teach  you  how  to  walk  through 
I  y  I      the  ways  of  time  and  yet  breathe  the  air 
of   eternity.     May  the   breezes  from   the 
hills  of  God  blow  down  the  vale  and  in  their  in- 
spiration may  you  find  your  strength." 


Friday  Evening. 
My  dear,  dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

.Since  your  letter  of  last  week  I  have  thought  of 
you  so  much,  and  hoped  that  the  Alumnae  meet- 
ing might  not  tempt  you  to  overtax  your  strength. 

Miss  Bushnell  writes  that  you  are  still  confined 
to  your  room.  I  do  hope  they  are  taking  good 
care  of  you,  and  that  when  you  do  get  out  again, 
you  will  let  others  shoulder  the  burdens  and  the 
excitement  of  Commencement  week.  .  .  . 

My  heart  goes  out  to  you  in  loving  sympathy 
for  I  know  how  hard  it  is  for  you  to  be  kept  quiet 
this  time  of  all  others,  and  how  many  things  you 
want  to  be  up  for  and  doing.  .  .  . 

Nellie  B is  coming  from  Dallas  next  month. 

She  writes  that  she  is  "so  anxious  to  see  Mrs.  Mills 
again.  I  did  so  enjoy  the  little  time  we  were 
together  on  my  last  trip,  and  the  memory  of  it  has 
been  more  than  pleasant." 

Just  as  your  last  visit  here  has  been  a  bright 
spot  to  me,  my  dear,  dear  friend. 

All  join  me  in  loving  greetings  and  hopes  for  your 
speedy  recovery. 

With  deepest,  tenderest  love  and  a  heart  full  of 
affectionate  gratitude  for  all  that  you  have  been 
to  me  these  twenty-five  years, 

I  am  always  yours  fondly, 


October  24. 

January  4,  1897. 
121  Avenue  Wagrara. 

My  dearest  Mrs.  Mills, 

Very  dear  friend. 

We  all  wish  you  a  happy  New  Year  with  all  our 
hearts. 

Only  by  a  mere  chance  we  are  at  home  during 
these  holidays.  I  was  engaged  in  Russia,  and 
expected  to  sing  there  all  the  winter  in  St. 
Petersburg,  Moscow,  Kieff,  and  Warsaw,  but  at  the 
close  of  my  St.  Petersburg  engagement  was  taken 
ill,  from  the  bad  water  (no  one  told  me  I  should 
not  drink  it)  so  I  gave  up  my  engagements,  and 
came  home  to  take  care  of  myself. 

I  am  quite  myself  already,  thanks  to  my  dear 
husband's  good  care  and  my  baby's  sweet  kisses 
that  I  think  will  cure  almost  any  illness.  So  'we 
had  our  Christmas  tree  and  costume  party  and  all 
the  amusements  that  so  delighted  our  darling,  for 
it  is  for  her,  of  course,  that  we  do  it  all. 

Mignon  sang  and  danced  like  an  angeT.    .    .    . 

Mignon  has  written  you  a  line  herself.  She  loves 
you  as  if  she  had  known  you  all  her  life. 

They  are  waiting  for  me  in  Russia,  but  I  think 
I  shall  leave  them  at  least  this  year  .  .  .  and 
shall  probably  sing  in  Florence  next  month. 

With  love  and  every  good  wish  for  the  New  Year, 
Your  affectionate  and  ever  grateful  child, 

EMMA  NEVADA  PALMER,   J'»i  foi. 


October  25. 

Chere  Mrs.  Mills: 

Je  vous  souhaite  une  bonne  annee.  Nous  avons 
eu  un  tres  bel  arbre  de  Noel  et  nous  avons  bien 
pens6  a  vous.  Je  vous  remercie  de  tout  mon  coeur 
du  joli  mouchoir,  et  de  la  belle  image  que  vous 
m'  avez  envoyes.  De  tous  les  cadeaux  que  j'ai 
recus,  c'  est  celui  qui  m'  a  fait  le  plus  plaisir. 

Je  ne  vous  ai  jamais  vue,  mais  je  vous  aime 
autant  que  si  je  vous  connaissais  depuis  bien  long- 
temps. 

J'  ai  toujours  desire  aller  chez  vous  comme 
maman,  mais  comment  laisser  ma  chere  maman  et 
mon  bon  papa,  je  les  aime  trop  pour  cela,  mais 
s'ils  venient  avec  moi,  oui. 

Je  parle  1'  Anglais  et  je  le  Us  mais  je  ne  1'ecris 
pas  encore  voila  pourquoi  je  vous  ecris  en  fran<jais. 

J'espere  toujours  aller  a  Mills. 

Je  vous  aime  et  je  garderai  toujours  tres  pre- 
cieusement  ce  beau  mouchoir  ainsi  que  1 'image. 

Je  vous  embrasse  bien,  et  de  tout  mon  coeur. 

MIGNON. 
(1897) 


Paris,  127  Avenue  de  Wagram, 

11  January,  1898. 
Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

I  wish  you  a  Happy  New  Year,  and  a  lot  of 
love.  Many,  many  thanks  for  the  beautiful  cal- 
endar you  had  the  kindness  to  send  me  for  Christ- 
mas. The  little  pug  dogs  on  it  are  darlings,  and 
one  of  them  is  the  real  image  of  my  own  little 
pug,  Borneo. 

I  wish  I  could  kiss  you  now,  this  minute. 

I  hope  you  have  not  in  California  weather  like 
we  have  here.  It  is  raining  nearli  all  the  time. 

I  am  glad  that  my  dear  Papa  and  Mama  have 
come  back  because  they  were  gone  two  big  months 
away.  .  .  . 

I  must  leave  you  now  to  studi  my  lessons.  You 
see  I  am  learning  to  write  in  English  this  last  year. 
I  do  not  spell  well  yet.  I  kisse  you  very  hard,  and 
wish  you  a  lot  of  happiness. 

I  love  you  very,  very  much, 

MIGNON. 


October  26. 

THE  newspaper  clipping  from  which  the  follow- 
ing   is    copied,    gave    Mrs.    Mills    a   personal 
pleasure,  for  Mignon,  or  ' '  Gloria ' '  as  she  was 
called  at  the   College,  from   her  wealth  of  golden 
hair  and  beaming  countenance,  she  regarded  as  a 
granddaughter — a    very    loving    and    lovely    grand- 
daughter, too. 

"It  is  Mignon 's  matinee,"  wrote  Mme.  Nevada- 
Palmer  at  the  end  of  her  invitation  to  her  intimate 
friends  for  the  fete  given  by  her  on  Thursday 
afternoon,  and  "Mignon  matinee"  it  was,  for  never 
did  the  gifted  and  talented  child  give  her  friends 
more  pleasure  by  her  artistic  singing  and  dancing. 
Dressed  in  white,  with  her  long  golden  curls  hang- 
ing over  her  shoulders,  and  holding  a  bunch  of 
white  lilacs  in  her  tiny  hands,  she  looked  like  a 
little  angel  as  she  stood  on  an  estrade  overhung 
with  palms.  Her  execution  of  'Las  Enfants, '  by 
Massenet,  and  Arditi's  waltz,  'II  Bacio, '  was  really 
wonderful.  She  sang  in  German  for  us  too,  and 
the  charming  song  'The  Sleepy  Little  Sister,'  by 
Mr.  Sebastian  Schlesinger,  who  accompanied  her. 

.  .  .  Then  Mignon  danced  with  the  grace  of  a 
youthful  Loie  Fuller,  a  series  of  serpentine  dances, 
the  electric  colored  lights  being  admirably  arranged 
by  Doctor  Palmer.  Among  the  guests  were  Sir 
Campbell  Clark  and  Lady  Clark,  the  Marquis  de 
Castone  and  Mme.  Marchesi,  Mrs.  Lymon  Collins, 
the  Comtesse  Eene  de  Coetlogon,  Mme.  Koenig, 
Miss  Minnie  Tracy,  Miss  Bullet,  Miss  Berthe 
Schlesinger,  M.  Harold  Bauer,  Mr.  M.  P.  Main, 
Messrs.  Frank  Holman  and  Holman  Black." 


October  27. 

A  note  written  in  Benicia. 

Still  Hour,  May  28. 
Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

I  think  I  have  really  found  my  dear  Saviour,  and 
I  know  I  love  him,  but  sometimes  I  do  that  which 
is  far  from  right,  and  I  do  pray  earnestly  that  I 
may  overcome  my  faults. 

I  thank  you  for  all  you  have  done  for  me.  I 
cannot  tell  you  how  much  you  have  helped  me  in 
the  right  path,  and  ask  you  that  in  your  prayers 
you  will  remember  me. 

Yours  truly, 


Note  the  formal  complimentary  close,  as  com- 
pared with  the  more  spontaneous  expression  that 
precedes  the  signature  in  letters  of  recent  years. 

May  11,  1908. 
Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

You  cannot  imagine  what  happiness  it  was  for 
me  the  other  day,  to  have  seen  you. 

To  me,  you  looked  just  beautiful.  Oh!  what  a 
glad  surprise  to  have  found  you  looking  exactly 
as  you  did  twenty-six  years  ago. 

When  I  think  of  those  vanished  years  I  realize 
that  Mills  has  always  been  the  oasis  in  the  desert 
of  my  life. 

******* 

Dear  kind  friend,  I  pray  sincerely  that  God  will 
continue  to  bless  you  in  the  future  as  He  has  done 
in  the  past. 

To  me  you  are  a  saint,  forever  enshrined  in  the 
Sanctuary  of  my  being,  and  your  life-work  has 
made  you  a  heroine  and  a  benediction  to  the 
women  of  California. 

Hoping  to  see  you  soon  again,  and  with  best 
wishes  for  your  welfare  and  happiness. 

Always  yours  lovingly, 


October  28. 

MB.   LUCIUS   TOLMAN. 

Born  1823;  died  1871. 
Husband  of  Mrs.  Mills'    Sister,  Julia. 

From   "Daily  Food"    texts;   Miss  Julia's  book. 

Julia    Tolman    and    Lucius    Alden    Tolman    were 
married  June  16,  1862. 

He   keepeth   the   paths   of  judgment,   and  preserveth  the 
ways  of  his  saints. — Prov.  2:8. 

Make   me   to   walk  in   thy  commands, 

Tis  a  delightful  road: 
Nor  let  my  head  or  heart  or  hands 

Offend  against  my  God. 

I    will    run    the   way   of    thy    commandments   when    thou 
shall  enlarge  my  heart. — Psalm  119:32. 


I 


WAS  at  Benicia  two  years,  and  then  we  moved 
to  the  new  home — the  beautiful  Mills  College 
of  the  present. 

Our  first  days  were  darkened  by  the  falling 
asleep  of  Mr.  Tolman,  whom  many  of  us  knew  to 
honor  and  to  esteem. 

Just  as  the  merry  girls  came  flocking  to  the  new 
home,  his  kindly  spirit  passed  away  to  the  Heavenly 
Home,  leaving  loving  hearts  to  cherish  a  bright 
and  loving  memory. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tolman  came  to  California  in  1870. 

Mrs.  Tolman  returned  east  after  her  husband's 
death.  She  did  not  rally  from  the  shock  of  it,  and 
went  to  join  him  before  the  year  had  closed. 


October  29. 

Thanksgiving  Greeting,   1906. 

Mrs.  C.  T.  Mills. 

My  Dear  Sweet  Friend: 

I  want  to  tell  you  by  pen  as  I  cannot  by  spoken 
word,  for  the  tears,  how  I  appreciate  the  home  I 
have  with  you. 

When  I  allow  myself  to  think  of  the  scenes  of 
April  19th — the  utter  desolation  of  spirit  in  which 
I  sat  down  at  a  near  street  corner  on  somebody's 
box,  and  looked  on  while  my  income  was  swept 
out  of  existence  and  my  house  and  dear  souvenirs 
of  a  life's  love  vanished  in  flames — sat  and  thought 
of  my  age  and  loneliness — when  I  think  of  those 
hours  in  what  would  have  been  grey  dawn  if  it  had 
not  been  fire  red,  I  can  only  wipe  my  eyes  as  I  am 
doing  now,  and  thank  God  and  you. 

I  do  not  mean  that  I  today  would  have  been  in 
the  parks  like  those  poor  bedraggled  ones,  but  I 
might  well  have  been  in  some  lonely  rooms  or  an 
average  hotel  with  uncongenial  people,  instead  of 
being  in  this  beautiful  place  where  I  am  treated  by 
you  and  yours  not  only  as  an  honored  guest,  but 
also  as  a  beloved  friend. 

It  is  not  a  question  of  money,  but  of  what  God 
loves — the  keeping  of  my  brother. 

I  can  only  try  to  tell  you  what  I  feel,  but  God 
knows,  and  sometime,  you  will  hear  the  angels  chant 
the  story  amid  a  great  chorus  of  similar  deeds. 

Some  seer  has  said  that  our  heavenly  mansions 
are  decorated  on  their  inner  walls  by  pictures  of 
our  good  works  on  earth. 

I  think  of  the  wondrous  gallery  which  will  greet 
your  eyes.  Not  least  among  these  scenes  will 

be  that  of  the  "Open  Portals"  for  the  homeless. 

May  the  Guardian  Spirits  wait  long  before  they 
bear  you  to  the  Presence  of  the  Master. 

Lovingly  and  gratefully, 
November  29,  1906. 


October  30. 

(For  a  birthday  of  October  31) 

FROM  the  New  Testament  the  favorite  Scripture 
passages  loved  all  my  life  thro'  Mrs.  Mills' 
frequent  use  and  application  are: 

Matthew  6:3-8,  33,  34;  in  fact  all  the  Chapter. 


Matthew     8:11-14                        Bomans 

13:10 

11:28-30 

12:1,2,10,11 

25:21,29,34-40 

14:17 

Mark           8:34-38                        I.  Cor. 

2:9 

12:29-31 

10:12,13 

14:38 

16:13 

Luke         19:10 

15:58 

John            4:24 

3:5 

6:27,33,35,63             Gal. 

6:9 

14  entire                       Eph. 

4:22-25 

15  entire 

6:10-18 

Romans       6:23                              Phil. 

2:5,9-11 

8:26-28,31,35,37-39 

Beatitudes  and  Commandments. 

February,  1891. 
Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

I  cannot  let  this  precious  occasion  pass  without 

expressing  my  great  thankfulness  at  's  wise 

decision. 

I  feel  she  has  thoroughly  considered  the  great 
responsibility  of  uniting  with  the  church,  and  will 
try  to  do  the  best  she  can — which — is  as  near  as 
possible  for  us  to  become  a  Christian  on  this  earth. 

I  pray  she  may  never  have  her  faith  shaken 
from  its  foundations. 

*«»**** 

I  am  happy  to  have  her  make  this  choice  while 
with  you,  knowing  it  will  be  wisely  fostered  dur- 
ing her  life  with  you. 

Ever  in  love, 


The  above  letter  from  a  mother,  to  Mrs.  Mills, 
speaks  for  itself. 


October  31. 

MISS   ELLEN  BUSHNELL. 

Faculty  Member. 

Died   1898. 

San  Francisco,  October  31,  1897. 

My  Dear  Mills  Friends: — 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  surprised  and  touched  I 
was,  on  opening  Miss  Tolman  's  letter,  to  find  such 
a  loving  and  generous  remembrance  from  the  dear 
Mills  College  friends. 

I  said  to  myself:  "What  am  I,  or  what  claim 
have  I  upon  their  generosity,  that  they  should  thus 
honor  me,  so?" 

I  cannot  find  words  to  express  my  thanks,  but  in 
my  heart  the  memory  will  ever  remain. 

I  feel  most  unworthy  to  receive  such  a  gift,  but 
it  will  cheer  my  heart  in  the  days  to  come  to  recall 
your  affectionate  sympathy. 

Remember  me  in  your  prayers,  and  God  grant  I 
may  be  in  time  restored  to  you,  and  be  able  to  take 
up  some  of  the  work  so  near  my  heart;  if  not — may 
I  cheerfully  say  "Thy  will  be  done." 

Thank  you  one  and  all. 

Yours  most  sincerely, 

E.  W.  BUSHNELL. 


Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

******* 

I  can  not  understand  God's  dealings,  but  He 
assures  me  that  "when  I  pass  through  the  waters 
He  will  be  with  me,"  and  so  I  am  trying  to  trust. 

"It  is  better  to  walk  with  God  in  the  dark  than 
alone  in  the  light." 

I  want  to  thank  you  for  all  your  kindness  to  me, 
and  the  brightness  you  have  added  to  my  life.  .  .  . 

I  cannot  look  further  into  the  future  than  today, 
but  living  or  dying  I  belong  to  the  Lord. 

With  warmest  love, 

Affectionately, 

E.  W.  BUSHNELL. 


Our  beloved  Nellie  Bushnell  whom  God  called 
home  in  the  prime  of  her  womanhood. 

We  feel  like  speaking  of  her  with  bowed  head 
and  bated  breath — beautiful  was  she  in  life  and 
beautiful  in  death. 

"He  giveth  His  beloved — sleep." 


LATEST   PHOTOGRAPH   OF   MRS.   MILLS 


ON   the   following  pages,   up  to    November    18, 
unless  devoted  to  special  birthday  dates,  are 
given   selections   from   addresses,  congratula- 
tory messages,  and  other  items  of  interest  in  com- 
memoration of 

The  Eightieth  Birthday  of 

Mrs.  Susan  Lincoln  Mills, 

November  18,  1905. 

This  was  a  most  notable  occasion  and  one  in 
which  all  Alumnae  of  Mills  have  reason  to  feel  a 
personal  pride;  especially  in  the  fact  of  having 
known  and  been  under  her  who  was  the  just  recip- 
ient of  such  honor  as  was  accorded  her  upon  this 
occasion. 

Well  might  she  have  said  to  us,  in  Browning's 
words: 

"Grow  old  along  with  me! 

The  best  is  yet  to  be, 

The  last  of  life,  for  which  the  first  was  made; 
Our  times  are  in  His  hand 
Who  saith,  'A  whole  I  planned, 
Youth  shows  but  half:  trust  God;  see  all, 
Nor  be  afraid.'  " 

The  arrangements  on  this  occasion  were  ably 
planned  and  admirably  carried  out  by  and  under 
the  direction  of  Dr.  Louis  Lisser,  then  Dean  of  the 
Department  of  Music  at  Mills  College,  now  the 
Dean  Emeritus. 


I 


November  1. 

NTERESTING  programs  of  exercises  were  carried 
out  in  connection  with  the  notable  occasion. 


On  the  evening  of  November  the  seventeenth, 
a  reception  in  honor  of  President  Mills  was  held  at 
Century  Hall,  in  San  Francisco.  Literary  exercises 
were  held  in  Lisser  Hall,  Mills  College,  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  eighteenth. 

These  were  followed  by  a  reception  in  Mills  Hall, 
the  main  building. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  seventeenth,  the  students 
had  a  basketball  game  on  the  College  Campus,  and 
on  the  evening  of  the  eighteenth  presented  tableaux 
and  a  play  in  Lisser  Hall. 

The  White  and  Gold,  the  College  magazine,  pre- 
sented its  issue  of  November-December,  1905,  as  an 
"Anniversary  Number  Commemorating  the  Eigh- 
tieth Birthday  of  Mrs.  Susan  Lincoln  Mills." 

Quite  a  full  account  of  all  exercises  and  addresses 
is  given,  and  from  it  most  of  the  selections  of  the 
following  pages  have  been  made. 

The  poem  sent  by  Professor  Elmer  E.  Brown, 
II.  S.  Commissioner  of  Education,  now  Chancellor 
of  the  University  of  New  York,  is  given  under  date 
of  November  the  seventeenth. 


November  2. 

THE  invitation,  on  satin,  hand-lettered  and  beau- 
tifully illuminated,  was  presented  to  Mrs. 
Mills. 

It  reads: 
Mrs.  C.  T.  Mills, 

Dear  and  Honored  Madam: 

The  Board  of  Trustees  of  Mills  College  and  Sem- 
inary, the  Faculty,  the  Alumnae,  the  Students,  and 
the  Members  of  the  Mills  Club,  desiring  to  com- 
memorate your  long-continued  and  distinguished 
services  in  the  cause  of  education,  also  to  give  op- 
portunity for  the  expression  of  the  high  and  honored 
place  you  hold  in  the  public  esteem,  and  to  bring 
you  the  tribute  of  warm  affection  and  reverent 
regard  felt  by  your  many  hundreds  of  grateful 
pupils  and  devoted  friends,  have  proposed  to  cele- 
brate with  fitting  ceremonies  the  Eightieth  Anni- 
versary of  Your  Birthday,  and  unite  in  requesting 
the  honor  of  your  presence  at  a  Reception  to  be 
given  at  Century  Club  Hall,  San  Francisco,  Friday 
afternoon,  November  the  seventeenth,  from  two 
until  five;  at  the  Exercises  to  be  held  at  Lisser 
Hall,  Mills  College,  on  Saturday  at  two  o'clock, 
November  the  eighteenth,  nineteen  hundred  and 
five. 


November  3. 

The  Eeception  at  Century  Hall,  San  Francisco. 


OLD  SOL  has  a  reputation  for  being  auspicious 
on   Mills   days,    and   he    could   not   afford   to 
prove  the  rule  by  allowing  the  exception  on 
this  day,  one  of  the  most  memorable  in  the  history 
of  our  College,  namely,  the  day  set  apart  for  the 
celebration  of  the  eightieth  birthday  of  our  beloved 
and  honored  President,  Susan  Lincoln  Mills. 

Such  a  happy  occasion,  the  friends  and  daughters 
of  Mills  College  have  seldom  witnessed — and  it 
would  indeed  take  a  master  pen  to  portray  fittingly, 
the  beauty  of  the  scene,  the  rich  blending  and 
changing  of  color,  the  perfume  of  the  flowers,  the 
strains  of  music,  the  murmur  of  voices,  and  the 
loyal  and  reverent  attitude  of  every  member  of  the 
assembled  company  toward  the  gracious  and  modest 
little  mother,  who,  in  her  usual  way,  thought  not  of 
her  own  honor  and  position,  but  constantly  strove 
to  increase  the  pleasure  and  joy  of  every  one  about 
her. 

There  was  a  loving  greeting  for  each  comer,  a 
reminiscence,  a  word  of  praise  or  commendation. 

One  of  Mrs.  Mills'  especial  graces  is  her  ability 
to  remember  faces  and  names,  and  as  girls  of  the 
seventies  and  eighties  and  nineties  came  forward, 
there  was  not  one  name  misplaced,  not  one  face  for- 
gotten. 


November  4. 

IP,    perchance,    some    one    of   the    three   thousand 
young  women   who   have  passed   through   Mills 
portals,  was  unable  to  be  present  on  the  memor- 
able   occasion,    in    fancy   let    her   climb   the   broad 
winding  stairway,  leading  to  the  beautiful  reception 
hall  of  the  Century  Club. 

Now  let  her  pause  at  the  doorway  for  a  moment. 
How  quickly  her  eye  rests  upon  the  airy,  graceful 
festoons  of  white  and  gold,  and  how  her  heart 
thrills  with  loyalty,  as  she  espies  the  scores  of  Mills 
pennants  and  feathery  chrysanthemums,  tinted  and 
fashioned  by  a  kind  providence,  especially  for  Mills 
girls! 

But  while  she  is  lost  for  this  one  brief  moment 
in  thought,  a  College  mate,  whom  she  has  not  seen, 
perchance,  for  years,  quickly  grasps  her  by  the 
hand  and  leads  her  away  in  triumph  to  greet 
President  Mills  and  the  other  ladies  of  the  receiv- 
ing party. 

Memories  crowd  thick  and  fast  upon  her,  and  as 
she  clasps  the  dear  hand  and  hears  again  the  fa- 
miliar voice,  words  fail  to  express  the  gratitude 
and  love  in  her  heart. 


Soon  she  is  chatting  with  some  member  of  the 
faculty,  or  with  a  trustee;  or,  perchance,  she  is 
introduced  to  a  young  girl  whose  face  and  manner 
are  strangely  familiar,  and  whom  in  a  moment  she 
recognizes  as  the  daughter  of  her  dearest  class- 
mate. .  .  . 

Wherever  she  turns,  she  is  sure  to  find  friends, 
and  friends  are  sure  to  find  her. 

The  time  has  come  to  say  farewell,  but  she  leaves 
President  Mills  and  all  her  friends  with  a  greater 
love  and  loyalty  than  ever  before,  and  sne  Is  proud 
to  be  one  of  the  Alumnae,  who,  together  with  the 
Faculty  and  Trustees  and  Mills  Club,  have  made 
President  Mills'  Birthday  Reception  one  of  the  hap- 
piest occasions  of  this  year,  and  of  years  to  come. 


November  5. 

Ceremonies  in  Lisser  Hall,  Mills  College. 

ON  the  afternoon  of  November  the  eighteenth, 
the   formal   exercises   in   honor   of   her   work 
and  her  public  service  were  given  in  Lisser 
Hall. 

Mrs.  Mills  entered  the  Hall  escorted  by  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 

Mr.  Charles  E.  Brown 

of  Oakland,  followed  by  Trustees,  Speakers  of  the 
Day,  and  Faculty. 

As  she  entered  and  walked  up  the  aisle  to  the 
platform,  she  was  greeted  by  an  outburst  of  melody 
from  the  organ,  and  by  much  applause  and  a  hearty 
welcome  on  the  part  of  the  assembly. 

The  exercises  were  opened  with  prayer  by  Dr. 
McLean,  and  an  anthem  by  the  choral  class. 

Mr.  Brown,  after  a  happily  worded  greeting,  in- 
troduced Professor  Gayley,  who  spoke  in  the  place 
of  President  Wheeler  of  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia. 

Mr.  Brown  read  Professor  Elmer  E.  Brown's 
beautiful  poem  to  Mrs.  Mills  upon  her  eightieth 
birthday. 

Professor  Stillman  of  Stanford,  representing 
President  Jordan,  recalled  his  thirty  years  of 
friendship  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  in  a  very  felic- 
itous way,  and  paid  a  high  tribute  to  Mrs.  Mills' 
contribution  to  the  educational  life  of  our  State. 

Judge  Morrow  responded  happily  to  his  introduc- 
tion in  a  speech  full  of  his  characteristic  and  de- 
lightful humor  and  warm  appreciation. 

Honorable  Warren  Olney  spoke  for  the  Trustees. 

Thomas  F.  Kirk,  State  Superintendent  of  Instruc- 
tion, gave  words  of  congratulation  and  appreciation 
of  President  Mills'  service  as  an  educator. 

Miss  Mabel  Thayer  Gray  spoke  for  the  Alumnae, 
Mrs.  Corennah  Wilson  Wright,  for  the  Mills  Club, 
Miss  Clara  K.  Wittenmyer,  for  the  Mills  Faculty. 


November  6. 

ALTHO'    the    influence   of   her   wonderful    per- 
sonality in  the  life  of  the  school  was  dwelt 
upon,  it  was  a  real  regret  that  in  the  brief 
time  allotted,  more  could  not  be  said  to  express  our 
deep   appreciation    of   the   great   self-denial,   large- 
hearted  devotion  and  the  wisdom  of  Mrs.  Mills  as 
well  as  the  courage  of  her  long  years  of  labor  alone, 
yet  it  was  the  reverent  thought  of  all  our  hearts — 
and,  after  all,  silence  was,  perhaps,  more  eloquent 
than  words  could  have  been. 

Dr.  Lisser,  the  executive  head  of  the  exercises 
of  the  day,  named  the  senders  of  many  congrat- 
ulatory telegrams  which  came  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  but  the  late  hour  precluded  the  reading  of 
most  of  these  messages. 

After  an  anthem  by  the  choral  class,  adjourn- 
ment was  taken  to  Mills  Hall  where  Mrs.  Mills 
received  the  hearty  congratulations  of  her  friends, 
and  their  compliments  upon  her  splendid  vigor,  her 
eighty  years  of  youth,  and  the  promise  of  good 
things  yet  in  store  for  her. 

The  twilight  gradually  gathered  as  the  guests 
departed  and  evening  fell  upon  one  of  the  most 
happy  valuable  days  in  the  history  of  the  College; 
a  day  in  which  every  student  present  felt  it  to  be 
one  of  the  privileges  of  her  college  life  to  share — 
to  get  a  little  glimpse  of  what  it  has  meant  to 
found  the  College  and  sustain  it  during  all  its  years 
of  growth. 


November  7. 

MES.  MILLS,  we  bear  you  the  felicitations  of 
the  University  of  California.  We  congrat- 
ulate you  on  founding  and  fostering  this 
College  whence  have  gone  forth  so  many  noble 
women  with  love  for  you  in  their  hearts  and  high 
ideals  for  mankind;  a  Woman's  College  with  as 
important  a  service  to  perform  as  either  of  the 
great  universities;  a  College,  we  believe,  destined 
to  bless  the  womanhood  of  this  State  far  beyond 
the  dreams  of  its  most  ardent  advocates,  its  dearest 
supporters. 

We  felicitate  you  upon  the  fulfillment  of  your 
eightieth  year  of  mortal  life;  the  first  stadium  of 
your  youth  immortal. 


It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  be  present  on  this 
occasion  and  pay  a  deserved  tribute  of  respect  to 
Mrs.  Mills  and  congratulate  her  in  the  name  of  all 
the  good  people  of  this  State  on  the  monumental 
work  she  has  accomplished  in  the  organization  and 
development  of  this  magnificent  institution. 

The  celebration  of  a  birthday  of  this  character, 
is  something  more  than  a  personal  matter;  it  is  of 
public  interest;  it  is  an  affair  of  the  State;  it  be- 
longs to  the  history  of  the  time.  .  .  . 

Now  Mrs.  Mills,  in  looking  back  over  her  years 
of  devoted  active  and  successful  labor,  must  take 
great  pleasure  ...  in  realizing  that  she  has  been 
one  of  the  pioneers  in  this  splendid  era  of  intelli- 
gent progress  in  the  higher  education  of  women. 

With  loving  regard  for  her  useful  life,  and  grate- 
ful acknowledgment  of  her  moral  worth,  and  with 
kindly  appreciation  of  her  genial,  loving  soul,  we 
invoke  for  her  future  years — which  we  hope  may 
be  many — the  choicest  blessings  within  the  gift  of 
the  Divine  Euler. 


November  8. 

THERE  is  a  certain  church,  in  the  far  East,  to 
which,  at  a  particular  service  each  year,  the 
people  bring  their  torches;   they  light  them 
at  the  altar,  and  then  bear  them  through  the  streets 
to  their  homes  in  every  quarter — thus  illuming  the 
city  to  its  uttermost  parts. 

Each  year,  from  out  these  doors  pass  a  group  of 
graduates,  bearing  throughout  the  world  torches 
lighted  at  this  altar  of  learning. 

To  some  are  given  the  responsibility  of  brighter 
flames — as  to  her,  who  charms  the  whole  world  with 
her  song;  or  to  her,  who  at  our  government's  ap- 
pointment has  chief  care  of  our  Army  and  Navy's 
sick;  and  to  others  who  have  won  local  fame  by 
professional  careers.  But  the  greater  number  by 
far,  carry  theirs  to  light  a  fire  on  their  own  hearth- 
stone, and  who  shall  say  that  these  do  not  shed  a 
farther  beam? 

It  is  not  well  for  daughters  to  protest  too  much 
in  public  their  love  for  their  mother;  but  rather 
to  show  their  "bringing  up"  by  their  living,  and 
their  appreciation  of  it,  by  their  interest  in  the 
younger  members  of  the  family.  Now  that  we  are 
grown  up,  we  realize  our  responsibility  in  this 
mother — and  appreciate  as  never  before  that  the 
future  welfare  of  the  college  lies  with  us,  quite  as 
much  as  with  the  Trustees  and  the  Faculty. 

' '  Though  it  is  a  far  cry  from  Dawson  to  Chili, 
and  from  Holland  to  Mexico,  we,  the  Alumnae,  are 
all  bound  together  and  to  California  by  the  one 
unseverable  bond — our  love  for  Mills." 


November  9. 

A  Birthday  Page. 

WEEN  death  separated  these  two  devoted  help- 
mates, the  Seminary  was  plunged  into 
mourning,  and  the  task  of  guiding  the  in- 
stitution through  sunny  and  stormy  days  fell  upon 
the  brave  little  mother's  shoulders. 

How  well  she  succeeded  all  the  world  of  education 
knows,  and  her  gift  to  her  beloved  California, 
State  of  her  adoption,  was  a  western  Woman's 
College. 

Her  influence  is  and  always  will  be  felt  through- 
out the  State,  beyond  its  borders  into  other  states, 
and  across  the  waters  into  foreign  lands. 

From  the  homes  of  "Mills  girls"  radiate  the 
ideals  which  were  implanted  in  their  minds  during 
their  life  on  the  campus  and  in  the  home  of  Mills 
Seminary,  now  Mills  College. 

The  College  has  inherited  a  great  gift;  the  gift 
of  the  loyal  daughters  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills,  who 
as  they  have  gone  into  the  world,  have  made  records 
to  be  proud  of.  Will  our  College  years  hence  bear 
up  the  record  of  the  history  of  Mills  Seminary, 
and  add  to  its  greatness? 

We  "Mills  girls"  answer  "yes,  the  influence  of 
our  Alma  Mater  parents  will  grow  as  the  years 
come  and  go,  and  Mills  will  become  one  of  the 
institutions  that  California  and  Californlans  are 
proud  of." 

To  one  Sunday  morning  I  can  trace  my  first 
recollection  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cyrus  T.  Mills,  my 
beloved  Alma  Mater  parents.  We  had  just  bought 
a  home  on  the  avenue.  We  went  to  the  Seminary 
to  attend  service,  but  were  informed  upon  arriving 
there  that  it  was  vacation  and  services  were  dis- 
continued until  after  the  Christmas  vacation. 

We  were  invited  into  the  sitting-room,  and  there 
met  Mr.  Mills.  For  a  long  time  I  had  looked  for- 
ward to  the  time  I  should  be  known  as  a  "  Milla 
girl,"  and  I  had  heard  much  talk  of  the  founders 
of  the  school,  so  had  pictured  Mr.  Mills  in  my  mind. 
I  expected  to  see  a  tall  severe  man,  but  to  my 
amazement  a  small  gentleman  with  kindly  face 
greeted  us.  He  impressed  me  more  than  did  his 
wife,  and  the  picture  in  my  memory  is  when 
Mrs.  Mills  said,  "Cyrus,  the  sun  is  shining  through 
that  upper  shutter;  will  you  please  close  itt" 
"Certainly,  my  dear,"  replied  Mr.  Mills. 


November  10. 

MRS.  MILLS  has  lived  to  see  her  Seminary 
grown  into  a  College  chartered  by  the  State 
to  confer  degrees.  Its  three  courses  have 
been  arranged,  amended,  and  revised  to  conform 
with  like  lines  of  study  at  our  Universities.  Here, 
however,  we  have  what  no  University  can  well  in- 
corporate with  its  larger  organization,  namely,  a  dis- 
tinctive home  life  in  which  the  resident  teachers 
may  unite  to  create  and  maintain  an  atmosphere 
that  will  pervade  the  life  of  every  true  Mills  girl 
who  shall  thus  go  forth  into  the  world  to  "glorify 
the  commonplace." 

We  embrace  this  opportunity  to  express  our 
earnest  hope  that  means  may  soon  be  taken  to 
grant  State  Teachers'  Certificates  to  our  qualified 
College  graduates  without  necessitating  loss  of  time 
and  needless  expense.  Scores  of  our  girls,  even 
from  the  Seminary,  teach  with  success,  entering 
that  station  in  life  well  disciplined,  well-rounded, 
and  with  that  sympathetic  kindliness,  even  temper, 
and  sincerity  that  are  the  "potential  agencies  by 
which  to  win,  direct,  and  control  pupils." 

Conscientious  instructors  who  have  with  pains- 
taking personal  care  molded  the  mind,  disciplined 
the  thought,  inspired  to  high  ideals — follow  with 
intense  interest  those  who  cross  the  threshold  of 
school-life  to  join  the  teaching  force.  Should  we 
not  justly  experience  the  certain  humiliation  that 
comes  to  one  who  knows  the  qualifications  the  grad- 
uate has  developed  under  the  influences  here  given, 
when  she  must  assiduously  review  the  three  E's  to 
pass  the  ordeal  of  a  county  examination — else  must 
take  a  Normal  School  course  for  a  certificate,  or 
attend  a  University  to  receive  a  degree  therefrom. 
What  a  disparagement  upon  that  recommended  by 
us  and  conferred  thro'  her  who  is  perhaps  the  oldest 
College  President  in  America.  (See  Nov.  11) 


November  11. 

WHY  cannot  a  young  woman  trained  here,  be 
eligible  to  a  certificate  upon  recommenda- 
tion of  President  and  those  members  of  the 
Faculty  who  have  close  personal  knowledge  of  the 
qualifications   educational,  temperamental,   and  dis- 
ciplinary, fitting  her  for  success  in  such  calling? 

It  is  establishing  no  precedent. 
It  is  eminently  fitting  and  right. 

It  is  a  measure  that  should  be  introduced  and 
should  receive  the  unanimous  support  of  those  in 
position  to  favor  it.  May  President  Mills  be  made 
to  rejoice  thro'  the  enactment  of  such  a  measure 
in  the  near  future. 


The  personnel  of  the  Faculty  repeatedly  changes, 
yet  seems  it  as  one,  because  so  guided  and  directed 
by  her  who  has  presided  over  all,  for  a  period  of 
forty  years;  at  first  as  the  constant  aid  and  support 
of  her  husband,  Dr.  Mills,  and  later  alone  except 
for  the  abiding  presence  of  his  counsels  and  his 
hopes.  We  cannot  separate  the  woman  and  the 
work.  Her  personality,  her  wonderful  knowledge 
of  and  supervision  over  the  minutest  detail  of 
the  life  here,  whether  of  employee,  student,  or 
teacher,  is  marvelous  in  its  comprehensiveness,  mak- 
ing her  the  magnetic  center  from  which  all  else 
emanates,  as  radii  to  a  circumference  which  at  every 
point  responds  to  the  contact. 

Those  who  regard  us  as  under  an  influence  not 
in  keeping  with  the  progressive  ideas  of  the  day — 
greatly  err.  President  Mills  has  brought  through 
eight  decades  such  of  the  New  England  training 
and  early  Mt.  Holyoke  thought,  as  have  given  bal- 
ance to  our  whole  educational  scheme,  while  with  a 
keen  intellect,  a  mind  eager  for  the  best  in  modern 
ways  and  methods  for  this  daughter  of  her  heart, 
she  is  wonderfully  in  touch  with  the  spirit  of  the 
present. 


November  12. 

THE    celebration    of   Mrs.    Mills'   birthday   was 
made    the    happier   by   the    host    of   tributes 
which    came   from   co-workers   in   the   educa- 
tional field  and  appreciative  friends  who  could  not 
attend   the   celebration   in   person.     Space   fails   us 
for  the  printing  of  many  interesting  letters;  a  few 
are  given  as  representative. 

From  Benjamin  Ide  Wheeler,  President  of  the 
University  of  California,  came  the  following  greet- 
ing, in  part: 

"You  have  laid  foundations  upon  which  others 
will  build,  and  no  man  can  foretell  how  great  the 
structure  may  become;  but  every  one  can  safely 
foresee  that  Mills  College  has  established  itself  into 
a  permanent  life  of  highest  usefulness  to  the  com- 
munity. ' ' 

From  Prof.  Thos.  E.  Bacon  of  the  University  of 
California: 

"In  my  last  visit  to  Mills  College  I  quoted  a  say- 
ing of  Walter  Bagehot:  'The  great  pleasure  in  life 
is  in  doing  the  thing  which  people  say  you  cannot 
do. '  If  the  saying  is  right,  you  have  great  pleasure 
in  life.  For  you  have  done  what  people,  including 
many  of  your  dearest  friends,  said  that  you  could 
not  do.  Every  one  knew  that  you  could  keep  a 
good  school,  but  every  one,  almost,  denied  that  you 
could  make  a  college  for  women.  And  you  have 
done  it.  You  have  done  it  in  the  face  of  suspicion, 
opposition  and  the  competition  of  free  co-education. 
The  value  of  the  college  education  which  can  be  got 
at  Mills  is  now  acknowledged  by  all  whose  opinion 
is  worth  considering." 

Let  me  congratulate  you  most  heartily  upon  the 
completion  of  the  eightieth  year  of  your  youth! 
When  I  saw  you  at  Mills  College  last  spring,  I 
understood  the  secret  of  your  escape  from  the  be- 
numbing spell  of  old  age.  .  .  .  — Henry  Van  Dyke. 

(Other  messages  are  found  under  Nov.  14,  15,  and 
elsewhere.) 


November  13. 

DEACON   SAMUEL   TOLMAN. 
Born  1754;  died  1835. 

DEACON  SAMUEL  TOLMAN  wrote  the  history 
from   which   the   following   is   taken,   for  his 
cousin,    Desire    Tolman,    Mrs.    Mills'    grand- 
father.    Mrs.  Mills  had  the  manuscript  in  her  pos- 
session,   but    at    her    request   it   has    been    sent    to 
Miss  Mary  Tolman  of  Manchester,  N.  H. 

The  original  is  exceedingly  interesting.  It  is 
most  legibly  written,  and  in  it  the  quaint  spelling 
of  the  olden  time  is  preserved.  With  it  are  copies 
of  two  ancient  instruments — the  wills  of  Thomas 
Tolman,  Sr.,  and  Thomas  Tolman,  Jr. 


I,  Deacon  Samuel  Tolman,  oldest  son  of  Johnson 
Tolman,  have  writ  some  of  the  outlines  of  this 
ancient  history,  beginning  from  the  29th  of  May, 
1630,  to  the  29th  of  May,  1830.  As  I  am  75  years 
6  months  old  and  you  are  still  older,  and  as  we  are 
living  on  a  small  remnant  of  time  ...  I  have 
writ  these  lines  chiefly  for  the  rising  generation.  .  . 
I  have  got  the  whole  history  in  the  house,  which  I 
have  writ  with  my  own  hand  on  A  sheet  of  parch- 
ment; &  to  have  it  kept  secure,  I  have  bought  me 
A  cane  for  which  I  gave  seven  dollars  on  the  first 
day  of  Janry.,  1824,  which  is  hollow.  I  onscrue  the 
top  &  put  in  the  History;  I  then  onserue  the  middle, 
&  in  the  lower  part  I  put  the  old  Indian  deed,  & 
my  great  grandfather's  will,  &  the  history  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  in  Stoughton.  .  .  . 

As  to  myself,  my  greatest  enjoyment  now  is  peace 
of  mind  and  contemplation  on  the  great  things  which 
ware  done  for  me  by  my  conversion.  I  am  filled 
with  admiration  why  I  was  not  passed  by  &  cast 
off  forever,  as  I  was  over  19  years  of  age  and  had 
lived  without  God,  &  I  had  no  Savior  because  I 
had  never  accepted  Him  in  A  right  way.  But  be  the 
name  of  God  adored  that  by  His  grace  I  was  brought 
into  God's  marvelous  light.  .  .  . 

I  might  write  of  many  things  which  have  taken 
place  in  our  day  and  generation  but  my  room  for 
writing  grows  small,  or  I  might  write  of  many 
things  which  have  taken  place  in  our  day  and 
generation,  and  of  many  things  concerning  your 
father's  family  and  my  father's  family  .  .  . 

This  to  Desire  Tolman, son  of 

Aquila  Tolman,  my  father's  eldest  brother.  . 

Stoughton,  May  29,  1830. 


November  14. 

44T    ¥OW  great  has  been  her  work  and  how  great 
I    the   changes   in   the   education   of   women 
which  the  period  of  her  active  life  covers! 
This  period  represents  the  whole  aggressive  move- 
ment for  the  higher  education  of  women.    ...    In 
this   conquest,    Mrs.   Mills   has   been   a   leader." — 
Charles  J.  Thwing,  President  Western  Reserve  Uni- 
versity. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  there  is  no  man  or  no 
woman  in  this  State  who  has  done  more  to  merit 
the  public  esteem  and  gratitude  than  this  venerable 
lady  who  is  still  so  active  and  effective  in  her  good 
works.  Long  may  she  continue  to  enjoy  her  pres- 
ent health  and  serenity  of  mind." 

— David  Starr  Jordan. 

"I  am  sorry  that  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to 
join  with  you  and  other  friends  and  admirers  of 
the  President  and  founder  of  Mills  College  in  testi- 
fying, on  the  occasion  of  her  eightieth  birthday, 
to  the  great  and  good  work  she  has  accomplished, 
and  also  to  the  high  esteem  in  which  she  is  held 
by  all  Calif ornians. ' ' — Governor  Pardee. 

"Let  me  tender  my  congratulations,  not  merely 
on  your  reaching  that  stage  of  life,  but  on  having 
made  so  notable  a  record  before  you  reached  it." — 
Whitelaw  Reid,  the  American  Ambassador  to  Eng- 
land. 

"Permit  me  to  congratulate  both  Mrs.  Mills  and 
the  College  which  she  and  her  husband  have  founded 
that  she  is  able  so  fully  to  see  the  results  of  her 
labors  as  a  pioneer  in  the  cause  of  woman's  edu- 
cation on  the  Pacific  Coast. ' ' — Arthur  Hadley,  Pres- 
ident of  Yale  University,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

' '  President  and  Faculty  at  Mount  Holyoke  College 
congratulate  Mrs.  Mills  and  Mills  College  on  their 
celebration  of  her  eighty  years  of  useful  and  beau- 
tiful living." — Mary  E.  Woolley,  President  Mt. 
Holyoke  College. 

"Cordial  congratulations  to  Mrs.  Mills  on  eigh- 
tieth birthday  and  on  her  many  years  of  life  useful 
to  education." — William  R.  Harper,  University  of 
Chicago. 


November  15. 

' '  We  have  long  been  familiar  with  the  invaluable 
services  which  she  has  rendered  to  the  cause  of 
education  in  California." — James  B.  Angell,  Pres- 
ident University  of  Michigan,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 

"May  you  round  a  full  century." 

"Many  congratulations  on  your  eightieth  birth- 
day, and  sincere  appreciation  of  your  work  for  the 
higher  education  of  women." — M.  Carey  Thomas, 
President  Bryn  Mawr  College. 

"Wellesley  College  rejoices  in  the  wide  sister- 
hood of  colleges  which  extends  over  this  whole 
broad  land,  and  from  the  Atlantic  on  the  East  sends 
its  greetings  to  the  college  on  the  Pacific  in  the 
West." — Caroline  Hazard,  President  Wellesley  Col- 
lege, Wellesley,  Mass. 

A  most  appreciative  letter  coming  from  a  group 
of  miners  in  Grass  Valley,  California,  reads  in  part 
as  follows:  "We  are  with  you  in  mind,  and  here 
tender  our  heartfelt  congratulations  and  kindest 
regards.  This  from  the  men  who,  in  the  past  ten 
years,  felt  the  good  of  your  gentle  words  in  times 
of  adversity.  As  further  token  of  friendship  and 
goodwill  find  enclosed  draft  for  one  hundred  and 
thirty  dollars,  same  to  be  applied  towards  a  fund  for 
a  gymnasium  for  the  College." 

Interesting  letters  and  telegrams  were  also  re- 
ceived from  the  presidents  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  University  of  Arizona,  the  Uni- 
versity of  Nevada,  Amherst  College,  Brown  Uni- 
versity, Princeton  University,  Vassar,  Westminster 
College,  Dartmouth  College,  Whitman  College,  Occi- 
dental College,  Barnard  College;  also  from  President 
Daniel  C.  Oilman  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  from  the  Dean 
of  Badcliffe  College,  Cambridge,  Mass.;  and  from 
other  similar  institutions  located  at  various  places 
throughout  the  United  States.  A  number  of  most 
interesting  letters  were  also  sent  by  the  surviving 
members  of  the  class  of  1844  in  Williams  College, 
of  which  Dr.  Mills  was  a  member;  also  from  Mrs. 
Mills'  surviving  classmates  of  '45.  Many  other 
letters  and  telegrams  from  old  pupils  and  personal 
friends  all  over  the  country  were  received  by  Mrs. 
Mills. 


T 


November  16. 

MISS  CYNTHIA  K.  GOULDING. 

Died  December  31,  1912. 
Associated  with  Mrs.  Mills  for  nearly  forty  years. 

HEN  came   Miss  Cynthia  Goulding,  who,  like 
her  name,  was  the  pure  metal  without  dross. 


It  is  beautiful  to  think  of  Miss  Tolman,  Mrs. 
Mills,  and  Miss  Goulding  going  home  so  near 
together. 

How  many  years  they  were  associated  together 
here!  and  now  the  re-union  unhampered  must  be  a 
happy  one.  

A  copy  of  the  following  lines  is  preserved  at  the 
College,  in  Miss  Goulding 's  handwriting: 

AULD  LANG   SYNE. 

Should  early  friendships  be  forgot, 

And  never  brought  to  mind? 
Should  early  friendships  be  forgot, 

And  days  of  auld  lang  syne  I 

Chorus: — 

For  auld  lang  syne  we'll  sing, 

For  auld  lang  syne. 

We'll  sing  a  song  of  friendship  sweet, 
For  auld  lang  syne. 

"Tis  here  we  searched  for  knowledge  rare 

Nor  ever  did  repine; 
But  many  a  steeper  path  we've  trod 

Since  auld  lang  syne. 

For  harder  lessons  we  have  learned, 

Full  many  a  weary  line. 
We've  conned  since  those  of  earlier  days 

In  auld  lang  syne. 

And  when  we  leave  our  earthly  tasks 

For  service  all  divine, 
We  sing  of  how  he  loved  and  led 

In  days  of  auld  lang  syne. 

Chorus : — 

Of  auld  lang  syne  we'll  sing 

Of  auld  lang  syne; 
We'll  sing  of  how  he  loved  and  led 
In  auld  lang  syne. 


November  17. 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN  LINCOLN  MILLS,  ON  HER 
EIGHTIETH  BIRTHDAY. 

NO  mean  nor  common  joy  is  theirs 
Who,  having  early  lighted 
Their  lamp  at  some  pure  flame, 
See  it  go  burning  on  through  length  of  years, 
Undimmed,  while  little  lights,  that  from  their  own 
Were  kindled,  in  bright  clusters  or  alone, 

Go   twinkling   cheerily   through   ways   benighted. 
Theirs  is  a  hallowed  name, 
Better  than  earthly  fame 
With  all  its  gilded  monuments  can  claim. 
I  think,  dear  Lady,  Mary  Lyon  held 

The  burning  light — a  warming  light  and  clear — 
To  which  the  eager  girl  drew  near, 
That  you  were  then;  under  her  eye  you  spelled 
Her  word  of  all  words,  duty, 
You  caught  her  love  of  the  deep  inner  beauty, 
And  learned  her  high  and  holy  fear. 

No  common  joy  is  theirs  whose  motherhood 
Is  wider  than  the  circle  of  their  own: 
Though  all  bereft,  they  cannot  live  alone. 
Lady,  that  greater  good 
Is  yours  in  generous  plenitude; 

Mater  of  Alma  Mater  shall  you  be 
To  a  great  company  in  this  fair  land, 

And  lands  beyond  the  sea, 
Who  in  sweet  maidenhood  have  learned 

That  nobler  motherhood  to  know 
And  love  and  understand: 

And  light   and  love  that   from  this  wellspring 

flow 
Shall  be  from  heaven  upon  your  head  returned. 

ELMER  E.  BROWN. 
1905.  (See  Nov.  25  for  a  birthday  of  Nov.  17) 


November  18. 

MRS.  SUSAN  LINCOLN  MILLS. 
Born  1825;  died  1912. 

RUSKIN  says,  "The  path  of  a  good  woman  is 
indeed  strewn  with  flowers;  but  they  rise  be- 
hind  her  steps  not  before  them."     Thickly 
did   Mrs.   Mills  strew  the  path  she  trod  with  the 
flowers   of   womanhood.      "May   the   paths  of   her 
daughters  be  as  thickly  strewn  with  flowers  of  love 
and  good  deeds. ' ' 


Through  her  instrumentality  our  lives 
have  been  enriched,  strengthened,  en- 
nobled, and  we,  our  children,  and  our 
children's  children,  shall  rise  up  and  call 
her  blessed. 


To  look  back  at  a  long  life  and  to 
know  that  every  great  turning  place  the 
course  has  been  chosen  that  helped,  that 
aided  in  the  advancing  of  a  great  num- 
ber; to  have  done  many  times,  works 
which  would  have  been  left  undone,  and 
to  know  surely  that  many  are  grateful 
and  that  One  is  pleased — that  is  your 
greatest  birthday  reward. 


November  19. 

From     remarks   made    at    the     Birthday   Dinner, 
November  18,  1914. 


MES.  MILLS  was  too  near  and  dear  to  me,  and 
still  is  in  memory,  for  me  to  even  attempt 
to  tell  my  personal  love  and  deep  feeling  for 
her,  but  I  will  take  time  for  a  few  statements  and 
suggestions. 

I  suggest  that  all  here  who  did  not  really  know 
Mrs.  Mills,  become  acquainted  now,  in-so-far  as  is 
possible,  with  that  wonderful  woman  to  whom  the 
fulfillment  of  the  College  is  due.  Eead  the  Mills 
Magazine  giving  the  account  of  the  eightieth  birth- 
day, November  18,  1905,  when  messages  were  re- 
ceived from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  Mrs.  Mills 
was  proclaimed  the  Dean  of  College  Presidents  of 
our  land;  a  College  Bulletin  of  1911  which  gives 
the  account  of  the  Founders  Day,  marking  the 
going  out  of  the  Seminary;  the  Mills  Magazine, 
March,  1913 — the  Memorial  Number.  These  are 
mentioned  because  they  are  in  our  library  and  easily 
found.  Our  Librarian,  who  knew  and  loved  Mrs. 
Mills,  will  direct  you  to  many  other  articles  on  file. 

Get  what  you  can  from  people.  Trifling  exper- 
iences that  are  common  to  school-life,  as  when 
Mrs.  Mills  suddenly  appeared  at  a  "feast"  to  the 
discomfiture  of  the  "f casters";  what  they  did; 
what  she  said — while  possibly  of  passing  interest, 
should  not  take  first  place.  They  are  remembered 
by  the  student,  but  are  soon  forgotten  by  the  busy 
woman  who  has  important  things  to  consider. 

While  Mrs.  Mills  was  too  much  in  sympathy 
with  student  life  to  be  utterly  averse  to  such  affairs, 
I  would  not  have  your  highest  thought  of  her  be 
formed  from  such  events.  She  is  too  big — too  mar- 
velous! 

As  you  hear  of  her  and  read  of  her — let  it  be  her 
wonderful  personality  that  impresses  you.  What 
she  was;  what  she  accomplished;  how  she  kept 
abreast  with  the  times,  linking  the  past  with  the 
present. 


November  20. 

ACQUAINT  yourselves  also  with  the  early  his- 
tory of  your  College  of  which  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mills  laid  the  foundation  nearly  fifty  years 
ago;  .  .  .  the  giving  of  its  buildings  and  lands 
to  the  State  of  California  to  be  held  in  trust  by 
a  Board  of  Trustees  for  the  higher  education  of 
young  women;  the  granting  of  the  College  Charter 
by  the  State  in  1885,  when  Mrs.  Mills  was  elected 
to  be  President  of  the  College,  as  well  as  of  the 
Seminary;  how  after  nearly  forty-five  years  of 
service  she  resigned  in  favor  of  her  beloved  friend 
and  one-time  pupil,  Dr.  Carson,  who  was  this  year 
followed  by  Miss  Ege  as  your  Dean  and  Acting 
President. 

Miss  Ege,  too,  has  known  Mrs.  Mills  and  her  work 
for  the  greater  part  of  twenty  years,  and  so  know- 
ing her  hopes  and  her  desires,  is  well-prepared  to 
carry  out  in  those  important  combined  positions  the 
will  of  the  founders.  She  has  asked  of  you,  co- 
operation and  service.  "Strength  united  is  always 
stronger"  .  .  .  stand  by  all  her  position  signifies 
in  this  wonderful  history  of  which  each  one  of  you 
is  now  a  part.  Be  a  worthy  part. 

Two  years  ago  Mrs.  Mills  came  into  this  dining- 
room  during  the  dinner-hour  to  enjoy  our  enjoyment 
and  to  invite  us  to  the  Gymnasium  where  music  for 
dancing  was  in  waiting.  Pretty  red  programs  were 
provided.  She  was  fond  of  red,  you  know,  and 
often  spoke  of  its  brightness  and  cheer.  How  we 
all  enjoyed  that  evening!  It  was  established  then 
as  her  wish,  to  be  the  home  dance  of  the  fall,  as 
the  Colonial  Party  is  of  the  spring.  .  .  . 

This  is  the  date  for  this  anniversary  dinner  and 
dance,  and  let  me  ask  you  all  ...  as  perhaps  my 
own  last  request,  that  hereafter,  in  planning  your 
fall  festivities,  see  that  the  dinner  and  Home  Party 
of  November  18,  has  the  first  place  on  your  Calen- 
dar of  Events. 

Always  think  of  November  the  eighteenth  as  the 
birthday  of  Mrs.  Mills,  the  friend  of  young  women 
and  the  first  President  of  Mills  College.  She  always 
preferred  being  called  Mrs.  Mills  instead  of  "Pres- 
ident," because  it  brought  her  so  much  nearer  to 
her  girls.  Make  it,  too,  a  kind,  forgiving,  loving, 
loyal,  cheerful  day,  and  still  further  with  the  little 
lad  of  the  Christmas  Carol  say,  "God  bless  it." 


D 


November  21. 

A  Collection  of  Birthday  Letters. 
EAE  Mrs.  Mills:— 


I  regret  very  much  to  be  unable  to  be  at 
Mills  on  your  birthday.     All  the  good  things 
I  am  going  to  miss — and  most  of  all — the  talk  that 
our  little  Mother  gives  her  girls. 

For  I  do  think  of  you  as  "Mother,"  Mrs.  Mills, 
and  the  five  years  of  girlhood  spent  at  the  College 
under  your  guidance  will  always  be  a  very  sweet 
and  tender  recollection  to  me. 

The  discipline,  moral  and  physical  training,  and 
hours  of  worship  have  shaped  my  future  and  have 
given  me  an  ideal  that  I  shall  always  keep  fresh  in 
my  memory. 

To  me  these  lines  of  Longfellow  are  very  beau- 
tiful. Perhaps  you  recall  them: 

"Ah,  nothing  is  too  late 
Until  the  tired  heart  shall  cease  to  palpitate, 
Cato  learned  Greek  at  eighty.    Sophocles 
Wrote  his  grand  Oedipus,  and  Simonides 
Bore  off  the  prize  of  verse  from  his  compeers 
When  each  had  numbered  more  than  four-score 

years. 

And  Theophrastus,  at  four-score  and  ten, 
Had  but  begun  his  Characters  of  Men. 
Chaucer,  at  Woodstock  with  the  nightingales, 
At  sixty  wrote  the  Canterbury  Tales; 
Goethe  at  Weimer,  toiling  to  the  last, 
Completed  Faust  when  eighty  years  were  past. 
For  age  is  opportunity  no  less 
Than  youth  itself,  though  in  another  dress." 

Your  life  has  been  spent  for  others,  dear  Mrs. 
Mills,  and  may  your  coming  birthday  bring  you  a 
wealth  of  peace,  happiness,  and  health. 

Lovingly, 


November  22. 

THE  following  letter  was  received  with  a  little 
picture   of    clouds   and    sea   lighted   by   sun- 
shine.      Although     the    picture     still     hangs 
above  the  mantel  in  Mrs.  Mills'  room,  it  is  evident 
that  she  prized  the  note  as  well — a  touching  tribute 
to  the  writer: 

My  Dear  Mrs.  Mills: — 

The  sweet  light  of  your  love  irradiates  the 
clouds  and  illumes  the  sea  of  many  a  life — and 
mine  is  one — so  the  little  picture  is  symbolic. 

God  bless  and  keep  you  many  happy  years  and 
enable  you  soon  to  see  a  most  encouraging  and 
satisfactory  beginning  toward  the  fulfillment  of 
your  desires  for  this  school — this  child  of  your  life. 

With  more  affection  than  I  can  give  expres- 
sion to,  Yours  lovingly, 


November  the  eighteenth. 


My  Dear  Mrs.  Mills: — 

This  "birthday  number"  of  the  Worlds  Work 
ia  given  you  on  your  birthday,  to  be  followed  for 
a  year  by  a  monthly  reminder  of  much  that  helps 
in  the  progress  of  this  great  world  of  ours,  which 
is,  after  all,  so  small. 

It  is  your  touch  with  these  things  that  helps  to 
keep  you  so  well-balanced  and  young. 

May  your  mind  be  just  as  keen  and  your  heart 
as  tender  for  many  happy  years  to  come.  May 
your  hopes  for  the  College  be  more  and  more 
realized.  'May  the  love  of  all  your  friends  en- 
compass you,  and  God's  love  keep  you  ever  at 
His  side.'  Affectionately, 


Nov.  18,  1902. 


November  23. 

OUR    dear    Mrs.    Mills;    May  her  one  beloved 
child,    "Mills    College,"    live    forever, — and 
forever     represent     the     highest     ideals     of 
womanhood. 

This,  her  great  aim  in  a  long  and  busy  life  here, 
should  not  be  forgotten  by  California. 

I  am  thankful  for  three  women  who  most 
moulded  my  character. 

My  mother,  who  in  early  childhood  made  me 
loving,  happy,  and  obedient. 

Mary  Atkins  Lynch,  who  stood  for  truth,  strength, 
and  right,  in  my  girlhood. 

Susan  L.  Mills,  who  stood  for  loyalty,  faith,  and 
work,  in  my  more  mature  years. 

May  her  benign  face  be  forever  a  beacon,  luring 
girls  to  better  things  in  this  life,  and  to  a  trium- 
phant place  in  the  next. 


When  a  letter  of  congratulation  was  written  by 
a  mother  of  a  Mills  Alumna  at  the  time  of  Mrs. 
Mills'  last  birthday, — in  acknowledgment,  a  type- 
written letter  was  received,  and  in  one  corner  was 
written  in  Mrs.  Mills'  own  but  then  feeble  hand, 
' '  Thank  you  for  your  daughter. ' ' 


In  greeting  me  on  my  return  from  a  trip  to  the 
mountains  she  said:  "You  have  been  among  God's 
greater  handiwork.  How  broadening  and  ennobling! 
and  yet  how  insignificant  it  makes  one  feel  to  visit 
these  giant  forests  and  these  wonder  spots  of 
nature. ' ' 

She  seemed  to  instill  in  one  the  true  values  of 
life;  and  girls  were  so  well  prepared  for  the  outer 
life  in  the  world  by  the  strong  and  firm  foundation 
of  character-building. 


November  24. 

ffTJ'NCLOSED  herewith  are  a  couple  of  pages  of 

p*^    my    impressions    and     feelings     concerning 

Mrs.    Mills;    I    hope    you    will    be    able    to 

pick    out    one    or    two    little    things    that    will    aid 

you.     I  feel  greatly  flattered  by  the  request  and 

do  not  want  to  ignore  the  call." 

Note:  The  article  that  accompanied  the  letter 
from  which  the  above  is  taken,  is  so  characteristic 
and  so  well  and  fully  written,  that  it  seems  a  pity 
to  select  "one  or  two  little  things"  for  the  Birth- 
day Book.  It  should  be  recorded  in  its  entirety,  so 
will  be  retained  as  an  article  for  the  contemplated 
volume  of  ' '  Memoirs. ' '  Excerpts  will,  however,  .be 
used  in  this  book. 


There  was  nothing  masculine  about  Mrs.  Mills' 
personal  appearance,  her  tiny  body  clothed  always 
in  black,  her  face  serene  beneath  the  parted  white 
hair;  but  to  me  there  was  always  a  sense  of 
strength  and  force  of  character  greater  than  most 
women  possess. 

Her  executive  power  was  marvelous.  Left  to 
carry  on  the  battle  when  the  school  was  still  in  its 
early  stages,  she  went  bravely  forward,  planning 
building,  working  always  toward  the  goal  she  and 
Mr.  Mills  had  set  for  themselves. 

Often,  she  must  have  been  disheartened,  but  a 
brave  face  was  always  turned  toward  her  friends. 

She  had  the  power  of  distinguishing  the  petty 
things  of  life  and  of  overlooking  them,  relegating 
them  to  the  background;  she  realized  that  thoughts 
must  look  up  toward  great  things  to  achieve  great 
things. 


November  25. 

IEECALL  one  incident  that  occurred  about  the 
time  that  Mrs.  Mills  must  make  a  decision 
whether  or  not  the  Seminary  for  Girls  should 
become  a  College.  Some  friends  visiting,  asked 
at  the  dinner  table,  what  her  decision  would  be. 
She  replied: 

"All  with  whom  I  have  counseled  advise  that 
the  Seminary  be  converted  into  a  College.  The 
times  seem  to  demand  it  and  the  Coast  needs  it,  but 
in  the  event  of  making  the  change  it  would  be 
necessary  to  retain  the  Preparatory  Department." 
Objections  were  expressed  as  to  this  plan,  where- 
upon she  remarked: 

"If  we  abandon  this  department  we  shall  'kill 
the  goose  that  lays  the  golden  eggs';  this  we  can- 
not afford  to  do,  and  if,  notwitstanding,  we  are 
told  that  we  must,  I  shall  feel  myself  a  frail  bark 
between  Scylla  and  Charybdis." 

It  would  be  a  joy  to  me  to  say  all  I  could  in 
praise  of  such  a  remarkable  woman  and  of  such 
a  dear  friend  as  was  Mrs.  Mills. 


(For  a  birthday  of  November  17) 

Mrs.  Mills  humor  was  unusual.  Her  talks  to  the 
students  were  often  filled  with  droll  remarks  which 
always  delighted  ns.  Even  her  suggestions  pertain- 
ing to  the  rules  of  the  household  were  delivered  in 
such  a  way  that  they  met  with  ready  response. 

On  her  way  to  Sunnyside  one  day,  she  caught 
sight  of  a  home-sick  Freshman  lying  face  down  in 
the  alfalfa  patch:  "My  dear,  this  alfalfa  is  for 
the  cows."  There  was  a  drollness  about  Mrs.  Mills' 
humor  that  was  delightful.  Naive,  quaint,  it  was 
always  expressed  in  a  manner  quite  individual  and 
characteristic  of  the  great  personal  charm  that  was 
hers. 

She  loved  people,  and  her  keen  insight  into 
human  nature  and  her  warm  sympathy  found  ready 
response. 

Mrs.  Mills  often  read  this  passage  from  the 
Ninety-first  Psalm,  and  it  seemed  to  be  the  key- 
note of  her  religion: 

"He  that  dwelleth  in  the  secret  place  of  the 
most  high  shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the 
Almighty. 

"I  will  say  of  the  Lord,  He  is  my  refuge  and 
my  fortress,  my  God,  in  him  will  I  trust." 


November  26. 

"Never  burn  that  which  would  cause  a  chick  or 
bird  to  open  its  bill." 


I 


BEMEMBER  how  Mrs.  Mills  loved  her  bevy  of 
California  quail  which  always  found  a  safe 
place  on  the  grounds. 

I  can  see  her  now  at  about  4:30  in  the  after- 
noon with  a  large  pan  of  wheat  going  from  her 
door  over  toward  the  clump  of  buckeye  trees, 
spreading  the  wheat  as  she  goes  and  calling  the 
quail  which  come  in  quick  and  hungry  response 
for  their  evening  meal. 

Such  a  string  of  quickmoving  brown,  slick,  little 
beauties! 

Sometimes  Fritz  would  follow  her,  but  when  he 
was  discovered  he  was  sent  back  post  haste. 


My  daughter  often  referred  to  Mrs.  Mills'  coun- 
sel. Advising  them  not  to  be  extravagant  and 
wasteful,  would  say  never  to  destroy  anything  that 
would  make  a  chicken  open  its  bill. 

During  my  sojourn  in  Oakland  a  few  years  ago, 
I  spent  many  a  pleasant  hour  in  my  dear  old 
friend's  company.  I  told  her  I  wished  she  had 
never  mentioned  the  crumb  for  the  chick,  as  I  often 
found  myself  going  from  the  dining-room,  through 
the  kitchen,  and  away  out  to  the  back  porch  with 
a  small  piece  of  bread  to  throw  to  the  fowls. 

How  heartily  she  did  laugh  at  my  wasted 
energy. 


November  27. 

For  Mrs.  Mills  on  her  birthday,  November  18,  1898. 
With  love  of . 

(Written  evenings  while  hearing  the  practice  of 
Handel's  "Largo"  by  Miss  Zue  Geery.) 

Again  the  Hand  of  Time  marks  off  a  year, 
As  one  by  one  the  numbered  days  have  sped; 

A  year  of  many  a  joy,  and  many  a  tear, 
That  mingles  white  with  raven  on  thy  head, 

And  counting  o'er  the  Eosary  of  thy  life, 

We  find  that  more  than  three  score  ten  are  said. 

We  look  upon  the  beads  of  years  agone — 

And  see  the  polished  spheres  of  childhood 's  days 

So  closely  followed  by  their  sister  ones 

That  mark  the  paths  in  learning's  devious  ways 

Where  Mary  Lyon — woman  nobly  true — 

On  thoughtful  mind  engrafts  the  truths  she  says. 

Then  comes  the  day  of  days,  the  hour  of  hours, 
When  joined  by  wedlock's  consecrating  band, 

The  threshold  of  the  maiden's  life  is  passed 
To  teach  the  Master's  word  on  India's  strand 

With  one  who  at  the  chancel's  holy  rail 

Doth  take  in  love,  the  maiden's  heart  and  hand. 

Next  back  returning  from  fair  Ceylon 's  isle, 
Hawaii's  untaught  youth  their   steps  arrest 

And  here,  as  always,  in  the  Master's  name, 
They  to  His  love  and  faithfulness  attest 

And  show  that  those  who  on  His  Word  rely, 
Have  Heaven's  favor  and  are  truly  blest. 

Still  onward,  onward  in  their  chosen  work 
They  cross  our  own  Pacific's  peaceful  tide, 

And  in  this  sunset  land,  the  Golden  West, 

They   moor   their   barque,   still   following    duty's 
guide, 

For  in  Benicia's  little  town  of  schools, 
They  gather  many  a  maiden  at  their  side. 


November  28. 

As  time  rolls  on,  the  roof-tree  is  too  small 
To  shelter  all  who  would  its  portals  pass, 

And  so  this  home,  near  Fruitvale's  hills  is  planned, 
With  ample  room  for  each  and  every  lass — 

And  Alma  Mater  from  this  beauteous  place 
Will  guard  for  aye,  each  Graduating  Class. 

Thus  in  the  Master's  name  with  loving  zeal 

Thro'  cloudy  days  and  brightest  sunny  weather, 

Each  helping  each  to  place  a  high  ideal 

They  bear  the  joys  and  ills  of  life  together, 

And  with  true  Christian  Spirit  found  this  school — 
A  work  whose  influence  will  last  forever. 

And  then-»-an  angel  summons  comes  to  him 
"The  Master  calleth  and  hath  need  of  thee 

Life's  battle  has  been  bravely  fought  and  won, 
Henceforward  bear  the  palm  of  victory." 

And  her  companion  from  her  side  is  borne 
To  do  God's  will  throughout  eternity. 

Ah!     Sad  it  seems,  'twas  not  permitted  them 
Adown  life's  vale  to  travel  hand  in  hand. 

But  God  in  grace,  moves  most  mysteriously, 
And  not  in  ways  by  human  wisdom  planned, 

So  she  who  would  accomplish  His  designs 

Must  bear  the  Cross  as  He  doth  give  command. 

For  "finish  all  thy  work,"  He  bids,  "then  rest." 

'Tis  not  yet  thine  to  cease  from  thy  endeavor, 
The  rest  prepared  for  thee  when  it  doth  come 

Know'st  not  'twill  then  be  time  to  rest  forever? 
Thy  plans  and  purpose,  consummation  need 
•  The    way    thou'lt    surely    find — "Till    then    rest 
never. ' ' 

And  so,  the  wondrous  work  goes  wisely  on, 
Through  womanhood's  indomitable  power. 

And  as  we  now  assemble,  one  and  all, 

To  sing  the  years  passed,  since  thy  natal  hour, 

We  crown  thee  Queen  of  Western  women  true 
Whose  lives  must  be  to  thee  a  glorious  dower. 

We  wish  thee  many  happy  years  to  come 
Till  sets  thy  sun  in  life's  full  eventide, 

And  count  thee,  golden  beads  of  faith,  hope,  love; 
The  Christian  virtues  that  shall  e'er  abide — 

The  Aves  of  Life's  chaplet  all  complete 
Proclaim  a  Gloria  Patri  far  and  wide. 


November  29. 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 
November  18,  187. 

DEAE  Mrs.  Mills: 
I  find  that  today  is  your  birthday,  and  al- 
though  I   am   a   little   tardy  in   sending  my 
congratulations,  I  trust  you  will  accept  them  as  the 
sincere  expressions  of  a  warm  and  loving  heart. 

They  surely  come  from  one  who  loves  you  very 
tenderly,  and  who  appreciates  all  you  have  done  for 
her.  If  I  should  try  to  number  your  kindnesses  to 
me,  they  are  more  than  could  be  enumerated.  One 
reason  why  I  wish  to  regain  my  health,  is  that  I 
may  spend  and  be  spent  in  your  service,  and  for 
the  dear  institution  which  we  both  love. 

God  has  been  very  good  in  sparing  you,  to  carry 
on  the  work  which  you  and  dear  Mr.  Mills  begun, 
and  I  trust  you  have  many  more  years  of  useful- 
ness in  His  service. 

I  hope  this  birthday  will  be  one  of  the  pleasantest 
you  have  yet  passed,  because  so  much  has  been 
accomplished,  and  heaven  is  so  much  nearer. 

With  many  congratulations  and  a  heart  full  of 
love, 

Yours  sincerely, 

E.  W.  BUSHNELL. 


Mills  College, 
November  18,  1906. 
Dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

All  good  wishes,  best  love,  and  congratulations 
to  you  on  this,  your  birthday! 

In  the  years  I  have  lived  in  the  same  house  with 
you,  your  life  has  been  an  inspiration  to  me  in 
many  ways,  but  in  none  so  much  perhaps  as  in  your 
beautiful  thoughtfulness  and  even  tender  sympathy 
for  others.  It  has  been  an  illustration  to  me  of 
Browning's  words,  "Make  life  a  ministry  of  love, 
and  it  will  always  be  worth  living";  so  I  would 
like  to  express  my  wish  for  today  in  Burns'  words, 
"May  ye  just  be  as  happy  yoursel'  as  ye  like  to 
see  anybody  else." 

Very  lovingly, 


November  30. 

"Never  thoughtlessly  nor  deliberately  wound  the 
feelings  of  another." 

1  RECALL  that  when  two  motherless  girls  received 
an  invitation  to  their  father's  second  wedding, 
they  with  their  companions  composed  the  most 
sarcastic  and  unkind  letter  their  combined  efforts 
could  produce  for  the  event. 

By  some  "wireless"  the  matter  came  to  Mrs. 
Mills '  knowledge.  She  spoke  so  beautifully  to  these 
sisters  of  their  father's  unfailing  kindness  to  them, 
of  how  long  he  had  been  faithful  to  their  mother's 
memory,  how  she  herself  had  had  their  experience — 
that  she  quite  won  them  over  to  her  point  of  view. 

The  letter  that  would  have  caused  an  estrange- 
ment was  not  sent;  instead,  the  girls  attended  the 
wedding. 

As  the  years  passed  they  realized  more  and  more 
the  wisdom  of  her  counsel  while  the  marriage  proved 
a  real  happiness  to  all. 

I  need  not  say  that  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  have 
done  very  much  for  me  while  Mrs.  Mills'  unfailing 
kindness  and  optimism  have  influenced  me  all 
through  my  life. 


My  very  dear  Mrs.  Mills: 

Miss  B unites  with  me  in  adding  our  ex- 
pressions of  love  to  the  many  you  receive  this  day. 
***** 

May  the  blessings  of  patience  and  courage  con- 
tinue to  be  yours. 

May  you  still  wait  God's  promise,  and  trusting 
in  it,  have  faith  in  the  fulfillment  of  it,  for  it  must 
come  to  you  whose  aim  has  been,  for  so  long,  to  do 
His  will. 

"I  cannot  think  but  God  must  know 
About  the  thing  you  long  for  so. 
Because  He  is  so  good  and  kind, 
I  cannot  think  but  He  will  find 
Some  way  to  help,  some  way  to  show 
You  to  the  thing  you  long  for  so." 

With  fond  love, 


November  the  eighteenth. 


December  1. 

SOON  after  their  arrival  in  California,  in  1865, 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  purchased  the  Benicia 
Seminary  of  Mary  Atkins.  They  were  induced 
to  take  this  step  and  continue  the  work  of  teaching, 
instead  of  taking  the  rest  they  had  contemplated 
upon  their  return  from  the  ' '  Islands, ' '  through 
Mrs.  Mills  chancing  upon  the  poem,  Finish  Thy 
Work.  The  verses  made  such  an  impression  upon 
her  that  she  cut  them  out  and  pasted  them  in  her 
Bible.  They  are  still  there.  No  doubt  the  influence 
of  this  poem  led  her  to  plan  for  the  work  of  the 
College  to  be  continued  under  another,  while  she 
herself  was  still  here.  (See  December  11.) 

Four  of  the  seven  stanzas  of  the  poem  are  here 
quoted. 

Finish  thy  work;  the  time  is  short, 

The  sun  ia  in  the  west. 
The  night  is  coming  down;  till  then 

Think  not  of  rest. 

Finish  thy  work;  then  wipe  thy  brow, 

Ungird  thee  from  thy  toil; 
Take  breath,  and  from  each  weary  limb 

Shake  off  the  soil. 

Finish  thy  work,  then  go  in  peace 

Life's  battle  fought  and  won; 
Hear  from  the  throne  the  Master's  voice, 

"Well  done,  well  done." 

Yes,  finish  all  thy  work,  then  rest — 

Till  then,  rest  never; 
The  rest  prepared  for  thee  by  God, 

Is  rest  forever. 

The  idea  of  resting  in  heaven  in  the  sense  of 
being  inactive  or  even  of  "sitting  about  and  play- 
ing on  harps"  in  continuous  praise  to  the  Moat 
High,  did  not  appeal  to  Mrs.  Mills.  She  thought 
that  there,  as  here,  is  ample  opportunity  for  active 
service,  which  would  be  more  abundant  praise. 

Often  she  would  say:  "I  expect  to  glorify  my 
God  by  action.  I  expect  to  go  on  swift  wings  from 
planet  to  planet,  and  star  to  star,  and  understand 
much  of  the  wonder  I  so  desire  to  know  but  which 
is  not  here  revealed. ' ' 


December  2. 

(See  September  29) 

December  19,  1914. 


JUST  as  I  was  leaving,  I  gathered  a  few  letters 
from  my  letter  file  which  I  enclose.   .   .   .   They 
testify  to  her  thoughtfulness  and  to  her  interest 
in  all  with  whom  she  was  in  any  way  associated. 

The  letter  of  December  5,  1912,  must  have  been 
dictated  only  a  few  days  before  her  death.  It 
breathes  a  calm  trustful  spirit. 

That  she  remembered  my  two  daughters  almost 
to  the  last  shows  how  she  carried  all  her  girls  upon 
her  heart.  Her  memory  never  seemed  to  dim  in  this 
respect. 

In  the  days  of  her  presidency,  I  was  always  im- 
pressed with  the  apparent  ease  with  which  she 
carried  upon  her  mind  a  multitude  of  details  about 
the  College,  and  particularly  about  her  girls. 


(The  letter  referred  to  above.) 

December  5,  1912. 
My  dear  Dr.  Landon: 

I  received  your  and  Mrs.  Lanrlon's  kind  message, 
and  I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart  for  your  words 
of  comfort  and  appreciation.  I  feel  that  I  hare 
done  very  little  for  our  Lord  and  Master,  and  wish 
I  might  have  been  permitted  a  few  more  years  of 
work  in  His  service,  but  it  seems  not  to  be  His 
will  and  I  must  accept  it  as  such.  There  are  so 
many  things  that  I  wanted  to  do  for  the  College 
and  for  my  girls. 

I  am  glad  that  we  have  had  your  two  daughters, 

and  I  hope  it  will  be  possible  for  H to  remain 

until  she  graduates. 

Give  my  love  to  Mary,  and  accept  my  sincere 
regards  and  best  wishes  for  Mrs.  Landon  and  your- 
self. 

Cordially  yours, 

SUSAN  L.  MILLS. 


December  3. 

MRS.    MILLS'    smallest    but    oldest    and    most 
treasured  Bible,  is  a  repository  of  much  that 
was  precious  to  her  along  with  the  Scrip- 
ture itself. 

On  the  inside  cover  and  on  the  fly-leaves  are 
written  in  her  own  characteristic  hand,  the  follow- 
ing: 

S.  L.  Mills — gift  from  dear  Father.  Stolen  from 
me  by  a  heathen  boy  in  Ceylon,  found  and  returned 
by  a  Christian  Hindu. 

D.  L.  Moody 's  favorite  verse — Isa.  12:2. 
I.  Sankey's — Numbers  6:24-26. 
Proverbs  31:30.         Psalm  91:8,9,10,11. 
Bury  thy  sorrow,  let  others  be  blest, 
Give  them  the  sunshine,  tell  Jesus  the  rest. 
Put  any  burden  upon  me,  only  sustain  me;  send 
me  anywhere  only  go  with  me;   sever  any  tie  but 
the  tie  which  binds  me  to  Thy  service  and  to  Thy 
heart. 

Holiness  is  the  law  and  love,  the  motive  of  our 
lives. 


Interleaved  leaflets:  "How  shall  I  read  the 
Bible T"  "How  to  receive  the  blessing  of  the  full- 
ness of  the  Holy  Spirit " ;  "  Eules  for  Peaceful  Liv- 
ing,"  with  references  to  Bible  texts. 

(Surely  Mrs.  Mills  needed  no  directions  from 
human  kind  to  direct  her  either  how  to  read  the 
Bible  or  to  receive  the  Holy  Spirit.) 

Pasted  in,  are  sentiments  and  poems,  as  follows: 

"Nothing  is  too  little  to  be  ordered  by  our 
Father;  nothing  too  little  in  which  to  see  his  hand; 
nothing  which  touches  our  soul,  too  little  to  accept 
from  him ;  nothing  too  little  to  be  done  for  him. ' ' 

"God  hears  no  more  than  the  heart  speaks,  and 
if  the  heart  be  dumb,  God  will  certainly  be  deaf." 

Finish  Thy  Work. 

We  Must  Answer  to  the  Master. 

The  Voice  in  the  Twilight.     (Given  elsewhere.) 

Christ  Bears  the  Heavy  End. 

Several  beautiful  poems  are  interleaved,  also  the 
prayer  by  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  given  on  an- 
other page. 

(See  Dec.  1;  Dec.  11,  opposite  Dec.  31.) 


December  4. 

1WISH   to  express  my  sympathy  in  the  loss  of 
Mrs.  Mills.     I  have  just  returned  from  a  trip 
East.     I  first  learned  of  her  death  from  a  San 
Francisco  paper  which  I  obtained  on  the  train  as 
I  was  returning.    ...    I  regret  very  much  that  I 
was  not  home  in  time  to  attend  the  funeral  services. 

I  was  going  to  say  "sad"  services,  but  I  have 
been  told  by  several  who  were  there  that  they  did 
not  seem  sad  at  all,  but  only  very  impressive. 

In  the  mail  which  I  found  awaiting  me  on  my 
return  was  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Mills  in  reply  to  one 
which  I  sent  her  at  the  time  of  her  birthday.  It 
was  typewritten,  but  signed  with  her  own  hand. 
It  was  written  just  a  week  before  her  death. 

We  cannot  mourn  that  she  has  gone.  She  was 
ripe  for  the  change,  and  evidently  the  time  of  her 
departure  was  at  hand.  She  has  done  a  splendid 
work,  and  she  will  long  be  remembered. 

Her  last  request  of  me,  the  last  time  I  was  over 
was  this:  "You  must  stand  by  Dr.  Carson."  I 
told  her  I  would,  and  I  shall  endeavor  to  keep  my 
promise.  .  .  . 


December  5. 

1  THINK  I  knew  Mrs.  Mills  as  well  as  any  College 
girl  of  my  time,  and  my  memory  is  full  of 
incidents  connected  with  her.  Many  of  course 
are  very  personal  so  may  not  be  of  particular  in- 
terest to  others. 

My  first  personal  interview  with  Mrs.  Mills  oc- 
curred a  few  days  before  the  first  "Prom"  in  my 
Freshman  year.  She  sent  for  me,  and  said  that 
inasmuch  as  my  father  was  a  clergyman,  before 
permitting  me  to  attend  the  dance  she  wished  to 
make  sure  that  I  had  my  parents'  permission  to  go. 
I  assured  her  that  it  had  already  been  granted. 
Then,  with  a  twinkle  in  her  eye,  she  said  she 
thought  it  was  old-fashioned  to  disapprove  dancing 
and  was  glad  I  could  go. 

Her  wonderful  memory  impressed  all  who  knew 
her,  I  am  sure.  I  recall  one  Alumnae  Day  in  par- 
ticular, when  she  stood  in  the  reception  parlor  and 
greeted  woman  after  woman  by  her  maiden  name. 
Some  had  not  been  back  for  ten,  fifteen,  twenty 
years,  but  Mrs.  Mills  called  each  one  by  name  un- 
hesitatingly, inquiring  after  parents,  sisters,  hus- 
band or  children  as  the  case  might  be.  I  remember 
my  amazement  as  Mrs.  Mills  asked  one  woman 
who  had  attended  Seminary  some  twenty  years 
before,  if  she  would  like  to  see  her  old  room  and 
proceeded  to  take  her  to  the  very  room  she  had 
occupied  as  a  girl.  I  followed  to  see  whether  she 
really  could  do  it.  She  did  it. 

The  quotation  I  remember  hearing  her  use  often- 
est  was:  "Freely  ye  have  received;  freely  give." 
She  wrote  this  in  my  "Daily  Food"  book  of  texts, 
and  also  in  my  Memory  book.  And  this  same  verse 
she  wrote  in  most  of  the  memory  books,  so  she 
must  have  loved  it  very  much. 

I  always  loved,  too,  her  "Good-bye  and  come 
again. ' ' 

One  of  the  last  things  I  recall  her  saying  to  me 
is:  "My  dear,  keep  busy;  be  helpful  and  useful, 
and  never  a  mere  ornament  to  society. ' ' 

Every  incident  calls  back  the  memory  of  so  many 
more,  that  I  could  write  on  and  on.  I  am  so  glad 
the  sayings  of  dear  Mrs.  Mills  are  being  brought 
together  in  one  book,  and  shall  be  glad  to  send 
more. 


December  6. 

DURING  my  Sophomore  year,  my  sister  began 
her  Art  instruction  in  San  Francisco.     When 
possible,  she  would  spend  her  week-ends  with 
me  at  the  College.    One  day  Mrs.  Mills  sent  for  me, 
and  very  mysteriously  led  me  down  the  hall  through 
her  room  to  her  bed-room  where  she  drew  out  a  huge 
box  of  pictures  of  various  kinds,  and  proceeded  to 
spread  them  out  on  her  bed.     ' '  Now,  I  want  you 
to  choose  a  picture  for  your  little  sister,"  she  said. 

I  was  relieved  of  the  responsibility,  however,  for 
picking  up  a  photograph  of  Grace  Hudson's  paint- 
ing— a  fat  Indian  baby  with  tears  rolling  down  its 
chubby  cheeks — she  said:  "Give  this  to  her  and 
tell  her  'Mrs.  Mills  sent  it.'  "  The  incident  is  just 
one  example  of  Mrs.  Mills'  kindness  and  generosity, 
and  her  thoughtfulness  for  those  who  were  outside 
of  her  great  circle  of  girls. 

This  same  artist  sister  made  me  a  large  poster 
of  a  Harvard  College  boy,  for  my  room.  He  had  a 
large  "H"  on  his  sweater,  was  smoking  a  pipe,  and 
answered  over  College  Hall  to  the  name  of  "Billy." 
One  day,  Mrs.  Mills  stopped  before  ' '  Billy ' '  and 
pointing  to  the  "H"  on  his  shoulder  asked,  "What 
does  that  stand  forf "  I  answered  that  it  stood  for 
"Harvard,"  to  which  she  replied,  "My  dear,  I'm 
sure  it  would  make  me  nervous  to  have  a  man  of 
that  size  in  my  bed-room.  I  think  that  H  stands  for 
horrible. ' ' 

I  have  always  loved  to  think  of  one  little  incident 
which  seems  to  show  Mrs.  Mills'  love  of  pretty 
things,  and  of  color  in  particular.  I  had  a  scarlet 
skirt  which  my  Junior  and  Senior  classmates  will 
remember,  I  am  sure;  it  lasted  so  long  and  was  so 
very  gay.  Mrs.  Mills  loved  that  skirt,  and  every 
time  she  saw  me  with  it  on,  never  failed  to  make 
some  remark  about  it. 

One  day  she  said,  ' '  My  dear,  that  is  such  a  pretty 
color.  God  gave  us  color  to  make  us  happy,  I  am 
sore." 


December  7. 

THE   REVEREND    GEORGE   DE   WITT   CASTOR,    Ph.    D. 

College  Pastor  from  August,   1909,  to  the  time  of 

his  decease;  July,   1912. 

WHILE     it    was    not    my    privilege    to     know 
Mrs.  Mills  in  any  intimate  way,  I  did  have 
the  good  fortune  to  feel  the  touch  of  her 
personality  in  the  few  meetings  granted  me  during 
the  last  few  years  of  her  life.     She  impressed  me 
especially  as  combining  the  qualities  of  forcefulness 
and  motherliness. 

The  last  time  I  saw  her  was  also  the  last  time 
my  dear  husband  preached  at  the  College.  On  that 
occasion  when,  in  reply  to  some  question  of  hers, 
Mr.  Castor  said,  "They  take  very  good  care  of  me 
here,"  Mrs.  Mills  with  an  affectionate  pat  on  the 
shoulder  said  in  a  most  maternal  way:  "Well, 
they'd  better  take  good  care  of  you." 

Queen  Victoria  when  interceded  with,  once,  by  a 
governess,  in  behalf  of  one  of  the  princesses  who 
seemed  in  no  physical  condition  to  perform  an 
allotted  task,  exclaimed:  "Koyalty  must  know  no 
weakness! " 

Something  of  this  same  spirit  seem  to  dominate 
Mrs.  Mills  on  the  occasion  of  Founders  Day  pre- 
ceding the  incident  mentioned.  Because  of  physical 
indisposition  the  doctor  had  given  directions  that 
Mrs.  Mills  was  not  to  stand  during  any  of  the  ex- 
ercises. The  vain  attempt  to  enforce  these  direc- 
tions by  a  personal  friend  who  was  with  her  on 
the  platform,  revealed  that  strength  of  mind  and 
will  which  so  long  triumphed  over  physical  con- 
dition— one  of  the  many  noble  characteristics  which 
caused  Mrs.  Mills  to  be  generally  known  as — a  won- 
derful woman. 


December  8. 

IT  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  put  into  words  the 
many  wonderful  memories  of  Mrs.  Mills  which 
come  very  often  into  my  mind.    I  can  so  easily 
shut  my  eyes  and  see  her  as  she  lived  among  us — 
the  center  of  our  lives,  or  recall  the  loving  tone  of 
her  voice  and  her  joy  in  our  fun.     I  have  still  a 
very  real  consciousness  of  her  warm  sympathy  and 
tenderness  which  went  out  to  so  many  girls. 

Of  the  many  pictures,  I  love  best  the  one  of  the 
quiet  room  where  we  gathered  for  prayers  at  night, 
and  Mrs.  Mills  at  the  desk  turning  the  pages  to  find 
just  the  verses  which  she  wanted  to  read  to  us. 
And  then  the  beautiful  rendition  of  them:  "The 
heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament 
showeth  his  handiwork,"  or,  "He  that  dwelleth  in 
the  secret  places  of  the  most  high  shall  abide  under 
the  shadow  of  the  Almighty,"  and  others. 

Most  of  all,  I  like  to  dwell  on  the  very  real 
personal  relationship  which  one  felt  when  she  led 
us  in  prayer.  It  always  seemed  to  me  that  each 
must  be  the  one  for  whom  she  was  speaking,  and 
the  simple  phrasing  and  spirit  of  confidence  ex- 
pressed the  inner  communion  which  dominated  her 
life. 

It  was  my  privilege  and  one  which  many  another 
girl  must  have  experienced  to  be  occasionally  very 
closely  associated  with  Mrs.  Mills.  She  would  come 
to  my  room,  which  was  near,  and  ask  me  to  walk 
with  her  on  some  errand  about  the  big  house,  and 
as  we  went,  she  always  talked  of  her  hopes  and 
plans  for  the  College  or  spoke  of  some  incident  of 
old  Seminary  days. 

Many  times,  just  before  the  last  bell  at  night, 
I  would  go  to  her  room  for  a  good-night  word. 
There  was  always  such  an  atmosphere  of  peace  in 
that  room.  "My  child,"  she  would  sometimes  say, 
"He  has  a  plan  for  every  one  of  us,  and  we  must 
trust  Him  to  work  it  out  as  He  sees  best." 


December  9. 

THIS  Thomas  Tolman  was  the  descendant,  in  a 
direct  line,  from  Sir  Thomas  Tolman,  Grand 
Almoner  to   Egbert,   the   first    King   of    the 
Saxons,  A.  D.  825. 

LINEAL  TABLE  OF  MBS.  MILLS'  DESCENT. 

FATHER'S  SIDE   (AMERICA). 

THOMAS  TOLMAN,  SR. 

Born  in  England,  1608;  died  in  Massachusetts,  1690. 
First    generation    in    America.      Came    to    New    England    in 

THOMAS  TOLMAN,   SR.,   1608 
1630  in  the  ship   "Mary  and  John." 

SARAH  

III 

THOMAS  TOLMAN,   JR.,   1633 
ELIZABETH  JOHNSON 

III 

SAMUEL  TOLMAN,   1676 
EXPERIENCE  CLARK 

III 

AQUILA  TOLMAN,   1705 
WAITSTILL  LEADBETTER 

III 

DESIRE  TOLMAN,   1748 
SARAH  HOWE 

III 

JOHN  TOLMAN,   1791 
ELIZABETH  NICHOLS 


MOTHER'S  SIDE. 

JAMES  BOUTELL,   1726 
ELIZABETH  SMITH 

ELEANOR  BOUTELL,   1765 
LEVI  NICHOLS,   1763 

ELIZABETH  NICHOLS,   1792 
JOHN  TOLMAN,   1791 

JOHN  TOLMAN,   1791 
ELIZABETH  NICHOLS,   1792 

EMILY    (Condron),  d.   1856 
JOHN  TOLMAN,   d.  1845 

ELIZABETH   (De  Witt),  d.   1845 
SARAH   (Foster),   d.   1852 
SUSAN    (Mills),   d.   1912 
„,„.  J  JAMES  TOLMAN,   d.   1855 

)  JULIA   (Tolman),  d.  1871 
JANE  TOLMAN,  d.   1912 


December  10. 

"The  thought  of  our  past  years  in  me  doth  breed 
perpetual  benediction." 


IT  made  me  very  sad  to  learn  of  the  death  of  dear 
Mrs.  Mills.     I  was  just  wrapping  up  a  picture 
of  my  twin  babies  to  send  to   her  when  the 
word  came. 

Ever  since  they  came  I  had  looked  forward  to 
having  their  picture  on  the  mantel  or  desk  in 
Mrs.  Mills'  room,  for  when  we  were  Seniors  she 
always  showed  us  the  pictures  that  came  to  her  of 
her  girls'  babies,  and  I  knew  my  little  twins  would 
be  welcome. 

How  I  would  miss  dear  Professor  Keep.  I  can't 
realize  that  he  would  not  be  there  to  welcome  me. 
I  am  glad  that  I  could  return  for  the  one  very 
short  visit  after  I  graduated,  and  I  love  to  think 
of  his  welcome  then. 

Mrs.  Mills  never  forgot  any  one,  and  was  so 
prompt  in  supplying  the  needs  of  those  about  her 
that  a  thing  was  no  sooner  said  than  it  was  done. 

Truly  you  say  we  can  hardly  appreciate  her  work 
and  influence.  Her  many  pupils  and  those  who 
knew  her  well  will  carry  her  teachings  into  the 
future  and  thus  her  work  will  continue  here. 


I  send  this  little  notice  about  Mrs.  Mills  whom 
I  have  known  for  many  years,  and  have  admired 
very  much  for  her  many  gifts  and  her  strong  in- 
dividuality. 


December  11. 

From  a  clipping  in  Mrs.  Mills'  favorite  Bible. 

HAVE    you    ever1    thought    in    what    condition 
your  work  would  be  found  if  you  were  com- 
pelled to  turn  it  over  suddenly  to  some  one 
else  to  carry  onf     In  the  following  beautiful  and 
impressive  lines,  some  one  has  asked  this  question: 

"If  you  and  I  today 
Should  stop  and  lay 

Our  life-work  down,  and  let  our  hands 
Fall  where  they  will — 
Fall  down  to  lie  quite  still, 

And  if  some  other  hand  should  come, 
And  stoop  to  find 

The  threads  we  carried,  so  that 
It  could  wind — 

Beginning  where  we  stopped;  if  It 
Should  come  to  keep 
Our  life-work  going — seek 
To  carry  on  the  good  design 
Distinctively  made  yours  or  mine, 

What  would  it  find?" 

The  conclusion  follows  thus:  "We  do  not  turn 
our  life-work  over  to  others  to  carry  on.  We  finish 
it  in  some  imperfect  way,  and  on  God's  great 
judgment  scroll  the  record  stands  forever  for  weal 
or  woe." 

Not  so  with  our  Great  Heart.  Hers  was  a  life- 
work  for  others  and  not  to  be  finished  and  left  by 
her  in  an  ' '  imperfect  way. ' '  Altho '  she  hoped  to 
live  to  ninety  years  that  she  might  complete  some 
incidental  work,  the  great  work  of  her  life  was 
turned  over  to  one  of  her  choice,  three  years  and  a 
half  before  her  death,  so  that  when  the  Eeaper 
came  for  her,  her  work  went  on  without  delay. 

(See  Dec.  13) 


December  12. 

And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying  unto  me,  Write, 
Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from  hence- 
forth: Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their 
labours ; 

And  their  works  do  follow  them. — Revelation  14:13. 


YOU  asked  me  to  send  you  the  date  of  my  birth- 
day. It  is  the  date  of  my  dear  father's  and 
Mrs.  Mills'  death,  December  the  twelfth. 

They  were  the  same  age  within  five  days,  and 
died  the  same  day  Father  in  the  morning  and 
Mrs.  Mills  in  the  evening.  Strange  was  it  not! 

Father  went  many  times  to  see  Mrs.  Mills  on  the 
eighteenth  of  November,  and  she  would  introduce 
him  as  her  twin.  We  were  neighbors,  you  know, 
for  many  years. 

The  morning  post  of  December  12,  1912,  brought 
a  letter  from  Mrs.  Mills.  It  was  dictated  and  type 
written.  She  had  not  as  usual,  herself  signed  her 
name,  but  I  was  happy  in  the  thought  that  she  dic- 
tated the  letter.  It  commenced:  "My  dear  Jessie, 
for  so  I  love  to  call  you."  Among  other  things, 
she  wrote:  "You  may  not  know  that  I  have  not 
been  very  well  the  last  year,  but  I  hope  to  be  able 
soon  to  visit  my  dear  girls  in  Stockton." 

I  answered  her  letter  at  nine  o'clock  that  same 
evening  and  posted  it.  The  next  morning,  Decem- 
ber 13th,  on  the  front  page  of  the  San  Francisco 
Examiner  was  a  likeness  of  Mrs.  Mills,  and  an 
account  of  her  death  at  nine  o'clock  the  evening 
before — just  the  hour  I  was  answering  her  last 
letter!  Little  did  I  realize  that  that  great  spirit 
was  passing  out  at  that  very  moment.  That  letter 
will  always  be  cherished  as  one  of  my  most  precious 
treasures. 

"Tho*  lost  to  sight  to  memory  dear, 

Them   «v«r  wilt  remain." 


Thou  ever  wilt  remain 


December  13. 

THE  CHRISTIAN'S  PRAYER. 

(Kept  by  Mrs.   Mills  in  her  desk,  with  other 
treasured  selections.) 

ET  me  not  die  before  I've  done  for  Thee 
My  earthly  work  whatever  it  may  be. 
Call  me  not  hence  with  mission  unfulfilled; 
Let  me  not  leave  my  space  of  ground  untilled; 
Impress  this  truth  upon  me:  that  not  one 
Can  do  the  portion  that  I  leave  undone, 
For  each  one  in  Thy  vineyard  hath  a  spot 
To  labor  in  for  life,  and  weary  not. 
Then  give  me  strength  all  faithfully  to  toil 
Converting  barren  earth  to  fruitful  soil. 
I  long  to  be  an  instrument  of  Thine 
For  -gathering  worshippers  unto  Thy  shrine; 
To  be  the  means  one  human  soul  to  save 
From  the  dark  terrors  of  a  hopeless  grave. 
Yet  most  I  want  a  spirit  of  content 
To  work  where'er  Thou 'It  wish  my  labor  spent. 
Whether  at  home  or  in  a  stranger  clime 
In  days  of  joy  or  sorrow's  sterner  time, 
I  want  a  passive  spirit  to  be  still 
And  by  Thy  power  to  do  Thy  holy  will. 
And  when  the  prayer  unto  my  lips  doth  rise 
"Before  a  new  home  doth  my  soul  surprise, 
Let  me  accomplish  some  great  work  for  Thee." 
Subdue  it,  Lord!  let  my  petition  be, 
"O  make  me  useful  in  this  world  of  Thine, 
In  ways  according  to  Thy  will,  not  mine." 
Let  me  not  leave  my  space  of  ground  untill'd 
Call  me  not  hence  with  mission  unfulfilled; 
Let  me  not  die  before  I've  done  for  Thee 
My  earthly  work,  whatever  it  may  be. 


December  14. 

"Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give." 
"That  man  may  last  but  never  lives 
Who  much  receives  but  nothing  gives. 
Creation's  blot,  creation's  blank." 

THESE  two  quotations  very  frequently  come  to 
my  mind   in  connection   with  Mrs.   Mills   as 
they  were  so  fully  exemplified  in  her  life. 
The  first  she  often  repeated  in  Chapel.     She  was 
especially  fond  of  this,  not  only  on  account  of  its 
significance,  but  because  Mary  Lyon  had  given  it 
to  her  class  at  their  graduation. 

The  other  quotation,  though  a  "homely"  one  as 
she  called  it,  was  a  favorite  with  her  father. 
Mrs.  Mills'  missionary  activities  alone  show  how 
fully  she  followed  the  teachings  of  these  words. 

She  gave  not  only  of  her  means,  but  most  un- 
reservedly of  her  own  energies.  In  her  daily  life 
she  was  untiring  in  her  desire  to  make  others 
happy  and  comfortable.  Perhaps  it  was  only  going 
to  the  kitchen  for  a  loaf  of  brown  bread  for  some 
friend  especially  fond  of  it,  or  hastening  out  of 
doors  for  flowers  to  give  to  some  departing  friend, 
or  searching  for  Michael  regardless  of  the  weather, 
that  the  carriage  might  be  brought  for  some  one 
not  quite  equal  to  the  walk  to  the  station. 

She  was  ever  most  thoughtful  for  her  "girls," 
as  she  loved  to  call  them,  and  her  life  was  full  of 
what  might  be  called  the  "humble  kindnesses." 
She  was  always  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  a 
stranger  as  well  as  to  a  friend,  were  it  a  kindly 
word  of  sympathy  or  more  substantial  aid  that  was 
needed.  So  many  girls  have  been  helped  through 
her  generosity  to  an  education  which  would  other 
wise  have  been  quite  impossible. 


December  15. 

Services  in  Lisser  Hall  and  at  Sunnyside. 

ALL    that    is    mortal    of    the   beloved    educator, 
founder  of  Mills  College,  Mrs.  Susan  Lincoln 
Mills,  who  has  been  instrumental  in  educat- 
ing women  to  preside  over  thousands  of  happy  and 
refined    homes,    now   rests   in   a   flower   embowered 
grave  at  Sunnyside  on  the  grounds  of  the  institution 
which    through    her    efforts    has    become    famous 
throughout  the  world. 

The  services  were  simple  but  beautiful,  in  keep- 
ing with  the  character  of  her  whose  loss  we  mourn, 
and  were  witnessed  by  hundreds  of  friends  includ- 
ing many  former  students.  All  present  were  im- 
bued with  a  feeling  of  respect  and  reverence  for 
the  noble  woman  whose  career  of  usefulness  has 
been  brought  to  a  close. 

"Jerusalem  the  Golden"  and  "In  Heavenly  Love 
Abiding"  were  the  two  hymns  sung  by  the  choir, 
vested  in  white,  during  the  walk  to  the  resting 
place  at  Sunnyside. 

Unutterably  impressive  was  the  sweet  singing  of 
the  young  women  whose  voices  quietly  reverberated 
among  the  trees  on  the  hillside  across  which  the 
procession  wended  its  way.  It  was  the  expression 
of  a  sweet  and  hopeful  grief,  resting  in  the  faith 
that  she  who  was  mourned  had  gone  to  her  reward. 

Students  also  in  white  carried  the  floral  tributes 
from  Lisser  Hall  to  place  them  with  loving  hands 
and  tender  thought  above  the  flower-palled  bier  at 
Sunnyside.  The  final  eulogy  here  was  followed  by 
the  chant  of  the  beloved  Twenty-third  Psalm,  "The 
Lord  Is  My  Shepherd." 


December  16. 

WITH  ceremonies  simple  and  beautiful,  as  was 
the   character  of  her  whom  they  honored, 
the  funeral  of  the  late  Snsan  Lincoln  Mills, 
founder  and   President   Emeritus  of  Mills  College, 
took  place  yesterday  on  the  College  Campus. 

The  bells  in  El  Campanil  were  sweetly  chiming 
as  the  procession  of  students,  faculty,  and  friends 
passed  from  Mills  Hall  where  the  body  had  lain  in 
state,  to  Lisser  Hall  where  the  formal  services  were 
held. 

The  impressive  cortege  was  led  by  the  College 
choir  garbed  in  white;  next  were  the  officiating 
clergymen — Dr.  Frank  L.  Goodspeed,  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  Oakland,  and  Dr.  George  C. 
Eldredge  of  St.  John's  Church,  Berkeley;  then  the 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  the  President 
of  the  College,  the  President  of  the  University  of 
California,  and  the  Trustees  of  the  College,  as  hon- 
orary pall-bearers,  walked  beside  the  flower-palled 
casket  which  was  borne  on  wheels,  the  active  pall- 
bearers—  employees  of  long  service  —  following; 
among  these  was  Michael  Herlihy  who  had  been 
with  Mrs.  Mills  for  forty-five  years. 

Next  were  the  relatives  (representing  three  gen- 
erations), the  faculty,  the  students  dressed  in 
white,  and  the  employees  of  the  College. 


December  17. 

MES.  MILLS'  great  gifts  were  devoted  entirely 
to   the   guidance   of   souls.     Her  wonderful 
genius  as  an  organizer,  her  literary  gifts — 
all   were   used   only  as  they  might  be   devoted  to 
guiding  the  young  women  whom  she  made  it  her 
life-work  to  teach.    She  was  a  pioneer  in  adventures 
for  the  faith. 

You  see  about  you  here  a  thriving  college.  This 
might  have  been  a  much  greater  institution  had 
Mrs.  Mills  wished  to  use  her  abilities  in  that  direc- 
tion alone.  But  she  built  up  the  college  not  for  the 
college  itself,  but  for  the  opportunities  it  would 
give  her  to  help  young  women. 

She  was  a  pioneer  in  woman's  education;  a 
woman  who  forty-seven  years  ago  conceived  and 
carried  out  the  idea  for  a  girls'  seminary  along 
broad  and  comprehensive  lines,  out  here  on  the 
Pacific  Coast. 

She  who  might  have  lived  a  life  of  selfish  ease 
and  quiet,  chose  rather  to  live  a  life  of  service  for 
others.  "Her  girls,"  as  she  called  them,  were  her 
first  thought,  and  the  beautiful  spirited  women 
who  have  gone  through  these  halls  and  passed  a 
portion  of  their  lives  on  this  campus  are  the 
living  monuments  through  which  the  memory  of 
Susan  Lincoln  Mills  will  be  perpetuated  throughout 
the  land. 

In  the  intimate  human  touch  lay  the  secret  of 
her  influence.  We  may  accomplish  much  by  wise 
planning,  but  how  much  deeper  the  influence  of 
what  we  really  are!  By  the  strong  cords  of  affection 
we  lift  others  up  to  our  own  Pisgah  's  heights  and 
through  our  own  eyes  they  see  the  splendid  prom- 
ised lands  to  conquer  and  possess! 

Surely  the  vision  of  Susan  L.  Mills  will  go  on  in 
the  lives  of  her  many  daughters. 

The  great  kingdom  of  the  mind  and  heart  will 
be  made  glorious  on  these  western  shores,  because 
she  has  lived  and  labored  here,  and  having  entered 
into  her  rest,  has  won  the  plaudet,  "Many  daugh- 
ters have  done  virtuously,  but  thou  excellest  them 
all." 


December  18. 

"With  such  a  comrade,  such  a  friend, 
I  fain  would  walk  till  journey's  end 
Through    summer    sunshine,    winter    rain, 
'Farewell,  we  yet  shall  meet  again.'  " 

A  RECITAL  of  Mrs.  Mills'  visit  to  India  made 
a  great  impression  upon  me.  Her  patience 
with  the  heathen  of  that  day,  her  loving- 
kindness  and  her  benevolence,  how  characteristic  of 
her  whole  life  spent  in  doing  for  others.  She  once 
said  that  her  mother  had  taught  this  lesson  to  her 
children:.  "Give  what  costs  you  something;  be 
willing  to  do  some  extra  work,  or  to  deny  yourselves 
something  that  you  may  give  to  others."  And  I 
can  see  Mrs.  Mills'  eyes  brighten  and  her  look  of 
innocence  which  made  one  feel  how  dear  she  was, 
when  she  told  us  how  well  she  remembered  her  con- 
fusion and  dismay  when  as  a  little  girl  sitting  on 
the  front  seat  in  Sunday  School,  she  dropped  the 
penny  that  she  had  earned.  "Those  big  ones  we 
had  then;  it  rolled  and  rolled."  She  thought  it 
would  never  stop,  and  was  sure  she  would  never 
see  it  again.  But  it  was  found,  and  she  dropped  it 
into  the  missionary  box. 

One  of  Mrs.  Mills '  favorite  texts  was  that  of 
Mary  Lyon,  "Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give." 
Another  was,  "It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to 
receive. ' ' 

Mrs.  Mills'  thoughtfulness  for  all  her  girls  was 
one  of  the  many  great  traits  of  her  personality. 
She  always  thought  of  the  comfort  and  happiness 
of  both  guests  and  girls.  The  pleasant  nod  to  each 
when  met  on  the  campus  or  in  the  halls;  her  won- 
derful gift  of  memory,  all  must  remember. 

"I  have  spent  a  long  peaceful  life;  sometimes, 
young  ladies,  it  has  had  its  hardships  and  priva- 
tions, but  I  am  ready  to  go  when  He  calls  me." 


December  19. 

YOU  know  that  Gladstone  was  familiarly  called 
| 'The  Grand  Old  Man"  of  the  century,  and 
it  seems  to  me  that  Mrs.  Mills  was  the  Grand 
Old  Woman  of  the  century.     I  always  look  upon 
her  as  a  wonder. 

I  was  privileged  to  be  one  of  her  Benicia  pupils. 
She  taught  several  of  the  classes  at  that  time,  and 
made  them  very  interesting.  Her  pupils,  that  is 
those  in  her  own  particular  classes,  appeared  always 
with  excellent  recitations  and  so  there  were  always 
ten  or  fifteen  minutes  to  spare  which  she  devoted  to 
an  up-to-date  development  of  the  subject,  a  talk 
on  some  topic  of  the  day,  or  reminiscences  of  her 
life  in  India  or  Hawaii. 

I  am  sure  no  other  woman  has  exerted  the  far- 
reaching  influence  that  Mrs.  Mills  has  during  the 
last  fifty  years  of  her  busy  life.  Her  pupils  have 
come  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  have 
married  and  sent  their  daughters  to  her,  and  many 
of  those  daughters  would  have  sent  their  daughters, 
a  constant  proof  of  her  great  value  as  an  educator 
and  disciplinarian  and  of  the  love,  esteem,  and  ad- 
miration which  existed  in  the  hearts  of  those  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  come  into  intimate  asso- 
ciation with  her. 

Each  year  on  Founders  Day,  some  of  these  old 
"girls,"  mothers  of  families,  some  of  them  with 
more  grey  hairs  than  Mrs.  Mills  herself,  would  visit 
Mills  College  hoping  to  meet  old  friends,  and  sure 
of  a  warmest  kind  of  a  welcome  from  their  dear 
teacher.  She  never  failed  to  remember  them  and 
greeted  them  by  their  maiden  names. 

These  old  pupils  never  failed  to  make  a  pilgrim- 
age to  the  charming  home  of  Miss  Tolman,  who 
for  so  many  years  shared  Mrs.  Mills'  educational 
cares  and  responsibilities,  and  such  a  warm  place 
in  the  hearts  of  her  scholars. 

Mrs.  Mills'  physical  vigor  was  as  remarkable  as 
her  mental,  and  the  Benicia  girls  declared  that  she 
never  slept;  that  she  was  omniscient,  omnipresent, 
and  a  mind-reader. 


December  20. 

A  MEMORY  OP  MRS.  MILLS. 

THOSE  of  us  who  were,  for  a  time,  her  children, 
Grieve  not  at  the  passing  of  a  founder  of  places  of 
learning, 
That   is   for  those  who   knew  but   the  fruits  of  her 

labors — 
We  who  loved  her,  mourn  the  loss  of  the  woman. 

Can  we  forget  in  spite  of  distance  or  time,  the  many 
Little  inconsequent  things  she  did  to  make  us  happy, 
When  she  herself  must  have  been  troubled  and  weary  f 
And  the  way  she  understood  the  first  dull  homesick  aching! 
She   never   quite   forgot   what  it  meant  to   be   this   side   of 

twenty, 

Full  of  the  foolish,  restless,  dreaming  thoughts  of  girlhood — 
It  was  as  easy  for  her  to  laugh  with  us  at  our  fun,  as  to 
Meet  with  grave  respect  our  matters  of  weighty  importance. 
Do  you  remember  that  night  when  Wo,  the  faithful, 
Was  to  return  to  his  home;  she  led  him  up  on  the  platform, 
With  no  less  courtesy  than  she  would  show  to  a  famous 

speaker  ? 
And   how    she    shared   in    all   that   we    did,    with   unfeigned 

interest, 

Whether  it  were  in  our  classes,  or  out  on  the  sidelines 
Watching  us  play  to  uphold  Mills'  sacred  honor  I 
There  was  nothing  in   life  too   common  or  mean  or  trivial 
But  she  would  give  it  her  wise  and  fair  attention — 
So  we  knew  a  wholesome  fear  of  her  disapproval 
And  a   great  and  glorious  pride  in  her  commendation, 
Knowing  each  to  be  just  and  comprehending; 
And   in  her  quick   bright   eye,    the   kindly   sense   of  humor, 
Balancing  right   and   wrong,    and   shriving   many  a   culprit. 
Hers   was    the   mother-heart,    guiding,    trusting,    believing — 
How  many  times  she  might  have  reproved  us  and  did  not, 
Saying  instead,    "My  child,  I  am  sure  you  must  have  for- 
gotten." 

How  many  times  she  was  tired,   and  still  we  demanded 
All  the  attention  and  energy  youth  never  loses; 
How   many   times  we   must  have   hurt  her,   and   knew  not, 
Thinking  her  ways  perhaps  a  little  slow  and  old-fashioned — 
Those  same  ideals  we  hope  to  teach  our  own  daughters. 
What  a  woman  to  know,  to  believe  and  love  and  follow  I 

Those  of  us  who  were,  for  a  time,  her  children, 
Grieve  not  at  the  passing  of  a  founder  of  places  of  learn- 
ing; 

That  is  for  those  who  knew  but  the  fruit  of  her  labors — 
We  who  loved  her,  mourn  the  loss  of  the  woman. 


December  21. 

THAT   you   may   know   my   great   love   for  the 
dear   little   lady   who    became    in    the    years 
spent  with  her  my  second  mother,  and  who 
waa  called  away  in  the  same  week  as  my  own  dear 
mother,  I  am  writing  these  lines  to  you. 

There  comes  into  every  life  sometime  or  another 
certain  influences  so  great  that  no  measure  can  be 
taken  of  them.  Those  influences  that  shape  our 
life's  course  are  nearly  always  those  given  by  a 
mother,  a  father,  or  some  one  very  close,  and  should 
we  stop  to  consider  what  they  are  we  cannot  tell, 
they  so  slowly  and  subtly  have  woven  themselves 
about  us;  and  so  it  is  with  our  dear  lady  of  love 
and  thought  for  all.  She  wrought  so  slowly  but 
BO  certainly  that  I  for  one  cannot  break  that  in- 
fluence into  its  many  parts.  I  can  only  say: 

If  I  have  a  little  more  charity  toward  my  neigh- 
bor, a  little  more  tact  in  meeting  a  stranger,  a  little 
more  certainty  that  the  life  correctly  lived  is  the 
only  safe  life,  and  a  little  more  love  for  my  family — 
then  she  helped  bring  all  these  things  into  my  life. 

This  is  so  personal  a  revelation  that  I  ask  you 
do  not  use  it  for  publication,  for  it  was  not  written 
with  that  in  mind,  but  only  that  you  may  know 
how  truly  I  love  her  who  is  also  so  dear  to  you. 

Note:  How  can  one  refrain  from  recording  this 
beautiful  appreciation!  Is  not  this  little  book  for 
her  girls  and  closest  friends,  and  should  not  this 
family  of  hers,  now  that  she  is  gone,  share  these 
intimacies,  these  very,  very  personal  experiences 
and  their  influence,  when  they  reveal  beyond  all 
else  the  dear,  warm,  human,  sympathetic  heart  of 
Mrs.  Mills  that  manifested  itself  more  and  more  as 
the  years  passed  by.  In  that  I  have  omitted  the 
name,  is  my  hope  of  pardon  for  having  entered  the 
tribute.— C.  K.  W. 


December  22. 
Sabbath  Evening,  December  15,  1912. 

My  dear  Dr.  Carson. 

Before  the  day  is  done,  I  want  to  tell  you  how 
perfect  in  every  detail  was  the  beautiful  service 
of  this  afternoon,  when  the  Mother  of  us  all  was 
laid  to  rest. 

The  exquisite  arrangement  of  flowers  in  Mills 
Hall,  the  service  in  Lisser  Hall,  and  the  never-to-be- 
forgotten  processional  to  Sunnyside — so  beautiful — 
so  perfectly  as  she  would  have  had  it. 

It  seemed  to  me,  the  singing  of  "Hark!  Hark, 
my  Soul!  Angelic  songs  are  swelling!"  was  a  glad 
triumphant  note!  Death  was,  indeed,  swallowed  up 
in  Victory! 

The  slanting  rays  of  the  sun,  resting  on  the  heads 
of  the  girls  as  they  moved  up  toward  the  hill 
where  we  laid  Her — seemed  like  a  benediction. 

And  who  can  forget  the  strains  of  "The  Lord  Is 
My  Shepherd,"  after  the  "dust  to  dust,  ashes  to 
ashes"  had  been  said?  It  sounded  back  among  the 
trees  like  tend 'rest  lullaby. 

Oh,  how  glorious  to  live  that  one  may  die  like 
that! 

There  are  times,  like  this  afternoon,  when  the 
hushed  heart  feels  the  Infinite  so  near. 

May  God's  richest  blessing  and  guidance  rest 
upon  you  and  us,  in  the  great  work  that  lies  before 
us.  The  work  She  has  bequeathed  us  to  carry  on. 


Affectionately, 


December  23. 

IT   is   given   to   few  to  retain   through   their  last 
years  such  wonderful  clearness  of  mind.     That 
power  with  her  great  interest  and  knowledge  in 
connection   with    those   with   whom   she   was   asso- 
ciated, made  her  seem  much  younger  than  she  was. 

She  was  truly  a  wonderful  woman,  and  has  left 
her  impress  upon  many  thousands  with  whom  she 
came  in  touch,  and  the  world  is  much  better  for  her 
having  lived  in  it. 

I  am  glad  it  has  fallen  to  your  lot,  Dr.  Carson, 
to  take  her  place  in  Mills  College,  and  many  will 
rise  up  to  call  you  blessed,  for  whatever  you  do  will 
be  done  well. 

I  realize  now,  what  a  great  factor  she  has  been 
in  my  life,  and  how  strong  and  lasting  her  influence 
has  been.  The  very  memory  of  her  wonderful  per- 
sonality will  be  an  inspiration  to  me  as  long  as  I 
live. 


Mrs.  and  I  thought  the  services  from  be- 
ginning to  end,  were  most  beautiful  and  dignified; 
and  quite  the  most  wonderful  thing  was  the  pro- 
cession of  lovely  young  girls  bearing  the  flowers. 

A  most  pathetic,  but  firm  figure,  was  faithful 
Michael,  and  over  me  flooded  memories  of  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  of  kindness  on  the  part  of  dear  Mrs. 
Mills  and  loyalty  of  those  who  served  her  well. 

We  pray  that  under  your  wise  and  loving  guid- 
ance, the  College  may  go  on  in  the  years  to  come, 
in  honor  of  its  Founders  and  to  your  satisfaction. 

(From  letters  to  President  Carson) 


December  24. 

December  15,  1912. 

»»•»»»» 

1  CANNOT  rest  until  I  tell  you  how  wonderfully 
beautiful  this  afternoon  has  been;  not  only  to 
me,  myself,  but  to  all  with  whom  I  was  able  to 
speak. 

To  me,  it  will  always  be  so  Christian  a  burial — a 
truly  Easter  service. 

That  long  procession  of  white-gowned,  flower- 
laden  students — how  I  wish  you  might  have  seen  it! 

And  the  singing  and  what  they  sang! — both  pro- 
cessional and  recessional;  and  that  exquisite  "O, 
Night  Divine!" 

My  mind  jumps  from  one  point  to  another  with 
no  regard  for  proper  sequence,  and  I  marvel,  more 
and  more,  that  anything  so  wonderfully  simple,  so 
perfect  in  its  setting,  was  believed  possible  and 
became  possible  as  in  this  afternoon's  service. 


"Mrs.  Mills  was  like  Mrs.  Stanford  in  that  she 
with  rare  ability  and  devotion  continued  the  work 
commenced  by  an  able  man  who  died  too  soon  to 
see  the  full  fruition  of  his  labors." 


"It  is  the  remarkable  personality,  devotion,  and 
force  of  character  of  this  wonderful  woman  that 
young  women  of  Mills  Seminary  and  College  have 
something  distinctive  about  them,  a  refinement  and 
dignity;  a  beautiful  spirit  of  unselfish  service." 


"Mrs.  Mills  had  been  so  closely  identified  with 
all  mission  work  and  was  so  personally  beloved  by 
many  of  our  ladies  that  deep  regret  was  spoken  on 
all  sides,  each  feeling  a  personal  loss  not  only  to 
themselves,  but  to  the  State,  and,  especially,  to 
our  young  people,  so  many  of  whom  had  been 
trained  by  her." 


December  25. 

And  the  Angel  said  unto  them,  Fear  not,  for  behold, 
I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy  which  shall  be  to 
all  people.  For  unto  us  is  born  this  day,  in  the  city  oi 
David,  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord. — Luke  2:10,  11. 


M 


US.  MILLS  never  lost  an  opportunity  to  im- 
press upon  us  our  wonderful  heritage  of  a 
Christian  birthright. 

How  she  did  enjoy  planning  for  the  Christmas- 
tide!  and  in  the  true  Christmas  spirit  of  her  life 
motto:  Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give.  For 
especially  did  she  remember  those  in  the  vicinity 
and  others  that  she  knew  of  elsewhere,  who  had 
little,  if  any,  more  than  the  real  necessaries  of  life, 
and  she  would  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity 
to  send  in  her  effective  way,  just  what  would  be 
most  acceptable. 

She  seemed  to  know,  intuitively,  what  would  be 
just  the  thing  in  every  such  case. 

She,  herself,  was  always  the  delighted  recipient 
of  many  and  varied  gifts. 

What  could  be  put  to  College  use  and  adornment 
was  quickly  adjusted  to  its  place  after  the  opening 
of  the  New  Year.  Until  that  time,  the  gifts  were 
arranged  in  her  room  for  the  daily  enjoyment  of 
herself  and  friends. 

In  a  manner  perfectly  natural  and  seemingly  ap- 
propriate, the  course  of  time  found  her  giving  away 
email  articles  that  pleased  her,  for  she  was  possessed 
by  the  overwhelming  desire  of  passing  on  to  others 
the  same  tokens  that  gave  happiness  to  her. 

If  we  who  knew  this,  gave  her  a  book,  we  would 
not  write  in  it,  for  we  knew  that  as  soon  as  she 
became  mind  owner  of  its  contents,  if  it  had  pleased 
her,  forth  it  would  fare  to  some  one  who  would 
derive  from  it  a  like  enjoyment. 


December  26. 

EARLY  in  the  December  of  her  death,  the  dear 
one  planned  her  Christmas  cards  to  bear  the 
season's  greetings  and  her  name. 

She  liked  brightness  and  the  suggestion  of  Christ- 
mas cheer,  so  they  were  to  be  lettered  in  gold;  the 
envelope  to  have  an  inner  casing  of  holly  red. 

These  greetings  were  duly  sent,in-so-far  as  we  at 
the  College  knew  to  whom  and  where  to  send  them. 

Enclosed  with  each  was  a  card  worded  as  follows: 
"Our  beloved  Mrs.  Mills  left  us  on  the  evening 
of  December  the  twelfth,  passing  away  in  a  sweet 
and  peaceful  sleep. ' ' 

She  went  from  us  so  near  the  Christmas  time  that, 
in  many  instances,  this  little  card  was  the  messen- 
ger to  the  recipient,  that  the  beloved  friend  had 
gone  to  be  with  her  loved  ones  "gone  before." 


Blessed  are  they  which  do  his  commandments  that  they 
may  have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may  enter  In 
through  the  gates  into  the  city.  .  .  .  And  the  Spirit 
and  the  bride  say,  Come.  And  let  him  that  heareth  say, 
Come.  And  let  him  that  is  athirst  come.  And  whosoever 
will  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely. 

— Revelation  22:14,  17. 


"I  was  deeply  touched  when  I  held  the  Christ- 
mas cards  sent  for  our  beloved  Mrs.  Mills  through 
her  wonderful  forethought  of  us  all." 


"I  cannot  tell  you  how  touched  I  was  at  receiv- 
ing dear  Mrs.  Mills'  Christmas  greeting.  The  tears 
fell  thick  and  fast;  it  seemed  as  though  she  were 
speaking  to  me  from  the  other  land. 

"She  remembered  us  to  the  very  last,  and  never 
can  we  forget  her  dear  personality,  her  brilliant 
mind  and  her  many  other  charming  qualities." 


December  27. 

SUNNYSIDE. 

AROUND  the  world  circles  a  wreath  of  immor- 
telles.    Not  the  flowers,  which   fade  or  are 
destroyed,  but  the  souls  touched  by  the  life 
of  Mrs.  Mills.    With  her  rare  combination  of  attri- 
butes, she  came  like  a  celestial  body  appearing  but 
once  in  generations.     The  stay  was  spent  in  loving 
service,  reflecting  the  teachings  of  Him  with  whom 
she  walked  so  closely. 

This  is  my  most  pleasing  picture  of  Mrs.  Mills. 
It  is  "prayers."  She  has  just  finished  reading, 
and  is  closing  the  large  Bible,  which  always  lay 
on  the  desk  in  Seminary  Hall.  Her  face  is  aglow 
with  divine  light.  She  looks  out  over  the  room,  and 
a  maternal  sweetness  spreads  over  the  small,  strong 
face. 

Truly  "her  children  arise  up,  and  call  her 
blessed."  Each  and  every  girl  was  like  her  own 
daughter,  and,  in  fact,  she  was  the  only  mother 
many  knew.  Guide,  protector,  inspirer,  comforter — 
these  were  the  roles  in  which  her  lines  were  spoken 
and  her  part  played  with  untiring  faithfulness,  even 
"in  the  least." 

Above  everything  came  her  plea,  "Be  womanly 
women."  The  father  of  a  Seminary  girl  told  me 
that  he  was  in  doubt  about  a  private  school  until 
Mrs.  Mills  remarked  that  her  prime  aim  was  to 
make  womanly  women  for  homes.  "I  left  my 
daughter  there,"  he  added. 

As  the  wireless  sends  forth  its  messages  through 
miles  and  miles  of  space,  so  must  our  thanks  and 
appreciation  travel  back  to  her  at  "Sunnyside," 
happy  with  loved  ones.  "Sunnyside"  it  ever  was 
where  her  great  strong  personality  tarried,  ' '  Sunny- 
side"  it  is  where  she  rests  from  all  she  has  done. 


A.V  f. 


I  *"**•* 

T         f  SL 


December  28. 

KISSED   by   the   first   rays   of    the    rising    sun, 
caressed  as  lovingly  by  his  lingering,  beams 
at  evenfall,  is  a  hallowed  spot  embowered  in 
roses — 

SUNNYSIDE 

Here  the  birds  carol  their  most  joyous  melodies, 
the  winds  waft  their  gentlest  zephyrs,  the  roses 
breathe  their  sweetest  perfume. 


The  last  day  that  Mrs.  and  Mr.  Mills  were  to- 
gether on  the  campus  they  went  to  the  beautiful, 
sunny  hillside  to  make  plans  for  a  home.  Only  a 
day  or  two  later  this  spot  became  Mr.  Mills '  resting- 
place,  and  here  Mrs.  Mills  now  rests.  Sunnyside  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  spots  on  the  campus. 
There  is  no  suggestion  of  sorrow,  but  the  triumph 
of  noble  living  over  all — even  death. 


The  Ancients  believed  that  when  the  first  beams 
of  the  rising  sun  played  upon  the  statue  of  Memnon 
it  responded  in  strains  of  music.  When  the  beams 
of  the  morning  sun  play  upon  the  monument  on  that 
hill-top,  the  solid  granite  may  be  silent.  But  all 
the  groves  and  dells  are  vocal  with  harmonies  that 
blend  with  songs  of  worship  under  consecrated 
roofs.  The  monument  may  crumble,  but  the  work 
of  the  Founders  will  endure.  We  come  not  to 
speak  any  farewells;  but  to  salute  a  living  force. 


'They  meet  tonight;  the  one  who  closed  her  eyes 
Unto  the  earth's  sweet  pleasures  and  its  woe, 

And  one  who  found  the  mansions  in  the  skies 
In  all  their  splendor  long,  long  years  ago. 

What  will  they  say  when  first  their  eyes  shall  meet 
Or  will  a  silence  take  the  place  of  words, 

As  only  saints  can  know  how  strangely  sweet 
A  rapture  such  as  only  heaven  affords 

Will  he  who  went  before  ask  first  for  those 
Left  far  behind,  those  whom  he  loved  so  well 

Or  will  the  other,  new  to  heaven's  repose, 
Question  of  all  its  meaning — who  can  tell? 

One  went  so  long  ago,  and  one  tonight 

Took  the  long  journey,  far  across  the  tide; 

This  only  do  I  know:  they  meet  tonight, 
And,  meeting,  both  I  know  are  satisfied." 


December  29. 

EACH    day,    God's   world    and   word   seemed   to 
reveal   new  meaning  to   her  mind  preserved 
in   activity,    and   to   her  heart   retaining   its 
treasures. 

God  did,  indeed,  seem  to  be  with  her  at  "every 
turning  of  the  road"  of  her  last  year's  journey, 
and  crowned  with  the  halo  of  His  gracious  presence, 
she  was  in  less  than  one  month  after  her  eighty- 
seventh  birthday,  lifted  up  into  final  completeness. 

Every  day  and  every  place,  and  everything  she 
loved  about  the  College,  to  those  who  knew  her 
heart  to  heart,  wears  the  beauty  of  holiness  and 
ever  will. 

As  you  read  these  pages  and  get  anew  the  revela- 
tion of  what  she  was  and  what  her  influence  is  and 
will  continue  to  be,  you  will  realize  more  than  ever 
before,  how  greatly  her  life  and  its  memories  "tend 
to  enrich  human  fellowships. ' ' 


I  cannot  close  these  pages  without  expressing  my 
sincere  thanks  and  appreciation  to  those  who  have 
so  kindly  sent  material  for  this  book. 

Although  many  letters  have  been  sent  in  for  me 
to  select  from  and  revise,  they  have  for  the  most 
part,  been  recorded  as  sent. 

The  spontaneous  expressions  are  so  much  more 
human  and  readable!  From  a  literary  point  of 
view,  these  pages  might  have  been  made  "as 
elegant  as  an  iceberg,"  but  doubtless  would  also 
have  been  as  cold  as  one. 


December  30. 

PR  this  same   reason,  I  have  used  excerpts  of 
letters  from  those  who  felt  that  in  the  limited 
time   they   could  prepare   nothing   worthy.     I 
crave  their  pardon  for  having  done  this,  but  these 
same  natural  expressions  and  those  from  other  let- 
ters quoted,  unintended  for  print,  are  to  my  mind, 
among  the  choicest  parts  of  this  little  book. 

As  said  in  the  Introductory  Letter,  this  book  is 
only  a  preliminary  issue  of  what  is  designed  to  be 
a  permanent  Memory  or  Birthday  Book.  It  is  in- 
tended only  for  Alumnae  and  other  Mills  Girls, 
their  children  and  the  personal  friends  of  Mrs.  Mills, 
so  we  want  to  keep  it,  too,  "heart-to-heart"  and 
full  of  sympathetic  love. 

Those  who  have  not  had  time  or  opportunity  to 
write  for  this  edition,  will,  I  trust,  appear  in  the 
next.  Send  as  many  pages  as  you  wish,  but  have 
each  one  complete  in  itself  and  under  a  birthday 
date.  Many  pages  in  this  are  carried  from  one  date 
to  another  in  succession,  because  of  my  dire  neces- 
sity of  quoting  fully  from  various  articles  in  order 
to  complete  the  book. 

The  permanent  edition  should  be  as  complete  and 
attractive  as  possible,  and  to  that  end  I  ask  you 
not  only  to  contribute,  not  omitting  the  birthday 
dates,  but  also  to  offer  suggestions.  For  any  crit- 
icism of  the  present  book  which  occurs  or  comes  to 
you,  please  send  a  counter  suggestion  for  the  next 
book,  or  any  other  direction  or  counsel,  even  though 
you  think  the  idea  may  be  apparent  to  me — for  this 
is  to  be  our  book,  and  we  want  it  to  be  in  the  best 
shape  and  arrangement  we  can  plan  for  it. 

If  I  may  appeal  to  you  in  the  spirit  of  the  verses 
at  the  close  of  this  book,  I  am  sure  I  shall  "do 
better"  for  you  this  new  year. 


December  31. 

«T"XO   my  work   and   yours,   too."     For  over  a 
\j     quarter  of  a  century  this  last  request  of 
Mr.  Mills  was  ably  carried  out  by  our  dear 
Mrs.  Mills. 


Thus,  through  busy  days,  weeks,  and  years,  this 
good  woman  worked,  loved,  gave,  prayed,  and  who 
knows  but  she  saw  visions  of  what  was  yet  to  be. 
Methinks,  on  Sunday  afternoons  when  she  was 
granted  a  few  hours  safe  from  all  intrusion,  when 
she  made  her  regular  pilgrimage  to  Miss  Tolman's 
cottage,  and  home  again  by  Sunnyside,  when  she 
was  alone  communing  with  her  own  heart,  by  Mr. 
Mills'  grave — that  there  she  saw  the  vision.  Mills 
College  standing  alone,  a  tribute  to  its  founders,  a 
monument  throughout  the  ages  that  are  to  be,  the 
accomplishment  of  their  two  hearts'  desires  today 
fulfilled — a  college  for  young  women  of  the  West! 
His  work  and  hers,  too! 

For  her  there  was  no  surcease,  no  laying  aside  the 
armor,  until  she  could  see  ahead,  and  know  that 
Mills  Seminary,  its  noble  work  complete,  was  about 
to  emerge  into  Mills  College. 

We  are  thankful  that  she  lived  to  see  it  accom- 
plished, that  she  had  several  years  of  well-earned 
rest,  surrounded  by  friends  and  scenes  beloved, 
amid  the  young  lives  being  imbued  with  the  very 
principles  for  which  she  labored  and  won — more 
precious  than  gold  or  fame — truth,  reverence,  love, 
character,  and  the  beauty  of  service. 

"The  long  day  is  done,"  she  has  gone  to  a  glor- 
ious reward,  and  "her  works  do  follow  her." 

"So  He  giveth  His  beloved  sleep." 


THE    following   beautiful    stanzas    that   I    have 
chosen  for  this  last  page  are  copied  from  a 
paper  worn  and  yellow,  that  is  in  Mrs.  Mills' 
Bible. 

He  came  to  my  desk  with  quivering  lip — 

The  lesson  was  done; 
"Dear  teacher,  I  want  a  new  leaf,"  he  said, 

"I  have  spoiled  this  one." 
In  place  of  the  leaf,  so  stained  and  blotted, 
I  gave  him  a  new  leaf  all  unspotted, 

And  into  his  sad  eyes  smiled 

"Do  better  now,  my  child." 

I  went  to  the  throne  with  quivering  soul, 

The  old  year  was  done; 
"Dear  Father,  hast  thou  a  new  leaf  for  met 

I  have  spoiled  this  one." 
He  took  the  old  leaf,  stained  and  blotted, 
And  gave  me  a  new  one  all  unspotted 

And  into  my  sad  heart  smiled 

' '  Do  better  now,  my  child. ' ' 


BIBTHDAY 
OF 


INDEX 

DATE 
JANUARY 


CONTRIBUTED    BY; 
OB.   SELECTED  FBOM 

.C.  K.  W. 


(Elizabeth    Nichols    Tolman). 


Marjorie   Moore  Brown,   '03 . . , 


1  ............  A  New  Year  Letter 

2  ............  A  New  Year  Letter 


C.    W. 
4.  ..Address  of  Dr.   G.   C.   Eldredge 

5  ........  Jessie  Norton  Axell,   '91 

6  ............  M.  M.  B.;    D.  M.  C. 

7.  .  .  Mrs.  E.  L.  Dillingham,  Hawaii 

8  ...........    Newspaper   Clipping 

9  .................  Mrs.    W.    H. 


.  .January 
, . .  .January 

.  .January 

.  .January 

.  .January 

.  .January 

January 

January 

Mrs.   H.  S.  Hyde,  Ware,  Mass. .  ..January 

Zara   Zacbarias    McConnell,  '09.  ..January   10 Z.    Z.    McC. 

January   11 Clara   Bowell    Dole,    '67 

January  12 C.    B.   D. 

January  13. .  .Founders'  Day  Bulletin,  S.E.P. 

January   14 8.    E.    P. 

January  15 E.  C.  D.;  G.  B.  M. 

Donna   Whittaker   Hammel,  '99.  ..January  16 D.    W.    H. 

January   17... Marjr  Laughlin  Beardmore,   '98 

January   18 M.    L.    B. 

January  19 Annie  Poor  Hastings,  '75 

January  20 A.   P.   H. 

January   21 A.   P.   H. 

January  22 Nellie  E.   Fuller,   '76 

January  23. .  .Founders  Day  Bulletin,  G.B.M. 

January  24 Nora   Allis    Schmalhorst,    '95 

January  25 N.  D.  B. 

January  26 N.   D.  B. 

January  27 M.   B.   H. 

Merrtl    Bice   Hunter.    '04 January  28 M.   B.  H. 

January  29 Miss   Emily   S.    Wilson 

January  30 E.    8.    W. 

(James  and  Julia  Tolman) January  31 C.   W. 

FEBRUARY Pialm    85:10 

(John  L.  Wittenmyer,    d.  1913) .  .February      1 C.    K.    W. 

February      2 Fayorite    Sentiments 

February      3 Miss   E.    C.    H. 


February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

February 

Helen   W.    Kimball.    '91 February 

Dorothy   Mills  Smith February 

ABRAHAM    LINCOLN     February 

Mabel  Hewes   Chandler,   '97. ..  .February 

Anna   Geil   Andreson,    '90 February 

Grace    Roberts    Moore,    '70 February 

.  February 
.  February 
.  February 
.February 
.  February 
.February 
.  February 
.February 

February 

(Sarah    Darls,    '81) February 


(Emily    Tolman    Condron)... 
Blanche    E.    Mills  ......... 

Nellie  Dyer  Belsterling,   '72. 


4.... N.    A.     8. 

5.. Founders  Day  Bulletin,  A.C.F. 

6.. Founders  Day  Bulletin,   A.C.F. 

7 For  a  Birthday  of  Feb.  11 

8 H.    W.    K. 

9 Lulu  Blnger  Harrey,  '91 

10 Birdie  E.  Anderson,  'OT 

11 See  February  7 

11 Treasured  Poems 

12 Centennial:  Mrs.  Mill* 

13 M.  H.  C. 

13..  (See  also  Feb.  15)  A.  G.  A. 

14 G.  B.  M. 

15 A.  G.  A. 

16 (See  Dec.  19);  A.  G.  A. 

17 Miss  Julia's  Daily  Food 

17 B.  E.  M. 

18 N.  D.  B. 

19 N.  D.  B. 

20 M.  B.  H. 

21 Collection  of  Beclpes 

22 D.  W.;  N.  A.  S. 

23.. Notes  on  Talks  by  Mrs.  Mills 


.. 

..........................  February  24  .  .Notes  on  Talks  by  Mrs.   Mills 

..........................  February  25  ....................     Letters 

Virginia  Casebolt  Daken,   '76  .  .  .February  26  ..................  V.    C.    D. 

..........................  February  27  ......  Mrs.   Mills'   Framed   Copy 

Mary    Lyon    ................  February  28.  .A  Printed  Article  by  "H.  B." 

..........................  February  39  ..................  N-    A.    8. 


INDEX 

BIRTHDAY  CONTRIBUTED   BT; 

OF                                  DATE  OB.   SELECTED  FROM 

MARCH Genera    Bhaw    Kemble 

March      1 M»bel   E.    Phillips,    '94 

March      2 M.    E.    P. 

Either  Blrdsall  Darling,  '86 March      3 Poems:    "Up   In   Alaska" 

March     4 LetUri  to  Mrs.   Mills 

Jeale   Woods  Wilholt.   '87 March     5 J.    L.    W.    W. 

March     6 J.    L.    W.    W. 

March     T Letters;  Address— W.   C.   B. 

11   C.   W March     8 M.    C.    W. 

March     9 N.   A.   8. 

March   10 N.   A.   8. 

March    11 Helen  Gardner  Scorille,   '76 

Luella    Clay    Carson March    12 Mills   College   Bulletin,    1911 

March    13 Personal  Letter;  H.  G.  S. 

March   14 H.    M.   D. 

March    15 Willie    Flnley    Reason 

March   16 Born*  of  Mrs.  Mills'  Recipes 

March    IT H.    M.    D. 

Mveh   18 H.   M.    D. 

(Desire  Tolman)    March   19 Family  Records 

March    20 E.  C.  D.;  H.  M.  D. 

March   21 B.  C.  D.;  H.  M.  D. 

Mrs.    Delia   Condron March   22 D-    M.    C. 

Harriett  Raymond,    '74 March   22 (See  Mar.    23) 

March   23 H.    B. 

March    24 H.    B. 

March   25 Mary  Bouse  Brown,   '72 

March   26 M.   R.   B. 

(Laurie    C.    PeraU) March   27 Mrs.    Laurence   PeraU 

(Daisy   Klmball   Adams) March   28 H.    W.    K. 

March  29. .  .  .Oweylere   K.    Bingaman,    '07 

March   30 0.    K.   B. 

Hettle  B.   Egc,   '03 March   31 H.  B.  E.;  G.  K.  B. 

APRIL James  1:17 

April     1 C,  K.  W. 

April     2 C«rrt«  Case  Hooper,   '81 

April    3 A  Letter  to  Miss  Tolman 

(Eleanor  Boutell  Nichols) April  4 A  Letter  to  Miss  Tolman 

Ella  Bishop  Drury,  '83 April  5 E.  B.  D. 

April  6 C.  C.  H.;  A.  P.  H.;  J.  F.  8. 

Helen  A.  Benson,  '11 April  7 H.  A.  B. 

Mrs.  C.  J.  Montgomery April  8 Mrs.  C.  J.  M. 

Laura  E.  Holmes,  '07 April  9 L.  E.  H. 

Mildred  E.  Ritchie,  '13 April  10 M.  E.  R. 

(Dorothy    Holbrook,    '08) April  11 H.    B. 

(John   Tolman)    April  12 C.    C.    H. 

April  13 Alice  M.    Bobbins,    '06 

April  14 "Dedication  of  El  Campanll" 

April   15 C.    C.    H. 

April  16 C.    C.    H. 

April  17 M.  L.  B.;  F.  A.  M. 

April  18 A  Letter  by  Mrs.   Mills 

April  19 Address;  W.   C.   B. 

April  20 L.    T.    M. 

(James  Boutell)  April  21 C.  W. 

Sarah  Garretson  Pringle.  '68 April  22 B.  0.  P. 

Alida  Wadham  Terrlll,  '59 April  22 A.  W.  T. 

April  23 Mrs.    Laora   Mellen    Robinson 

April  24 Jessie  French  Shull,  '96 

Mr.  A.  J.  Ralston April  25 A.  J.  B. 

(Elizabeth  8.  Boutell) April  26 N.  M. 

Grace  Elmore  April  26 0.  E. 

(John  Condron)  April  27 Mrs.  D.  M.  C. 

April  28 J.    F.    8. 

April  29 J.    F.    8. 

April  30 J.    r.    8. 


INDEX 

BIRTHDAY  CONTRIBUTED    BY; 

OF                                  DATE  OB,   SELECTED  FROM 

MAY 

(Fannie   Bentley   Hall,    '97) May      1 M.    B. 

May      2 M.    B. 

May  3. ...  In   Memoriam;   Cyrus  T.    Mills 

(Dr.    Cyrus   Taggart  Mills) May      4 1.    M.    T. 

May      6 1.  M.  T.;  J.  L.  C. 

May      6 J.    E.    C. 

M.    B May      7 M.    B. 

(Addle   Mills   Titus) May      8 . .  -Mary  Lyon  and  Mrs.   MlUi 

Isa   Mills   Titus May      0 1.   M.   T. 

May    10 I.   M.   T. 

(Professor    J.    Keep) May  11..  ..  Birthday    Anniversary    Remarks 

Lily  Johnson  Cory,  '74 May    1 1. (See   May    12 ) 

May    12 L.    J.    C. 

May    13 V.    C.   D. 

May    14. Personal    Letters 

May  1 5. ....  Founders  Day  Address,   M.   B. 

Honorable    David    Hewes May    16 Genealogical    History 

May    17. Helen  Conway  May,   '05 

May  18. ...  .Remarks   at   Sunnyside,    1914 

May  19. ....  Remarks   at   Sunnyside,    1914 

May    20 C.  K.  W. 

May    21 Founders  Day,   '94 ;  Dr.W.C.B. 

May    22 L.    T.    M. 

Alice  B.    Wythe,    89 May    23 A.    B.    W. 

Adelia  Payne    May    24 A.    P. 

May    25 N.    M. 

(Ida    M.    Bradley) May    26 t.   T.   M. 

May    27 Mrs.  H.  M.  Hazeltine,  85  yrg. 

May    28 Mrs.   H.   M.   H. 

May    29 Mrs.   H.   M.   H. 

May    30 L.    T.    M. 

(Edward    Trask    Miller) May    31 L.    T.    M. 

JUNE From    Mrs.    Mills'    Bible 

June      1 From  Mrs.    Mills'   Bible 

Jane     2 From   Mrs.    Mills'   Bible 

June     3 Birthday  of  June  5;  J.  L.  C. 

(Sara  d'Ancona)    June  4. . .  .Letters  fromMrs. Mills;    A.S.d'A. 

Jane  Lockhart  Crane,   '75 June      5 (See  June  3);  J.   L.   C. 

Jane  Seymour  Kllnk,  '73 June     6 J.    S.   K. 

June      6 J.     B.     K. 

June     7 3.    E.    C. 

June     8 M.  R.  B. ;  Mrs.  Mills'  Letters 

Mary   Melville    Tolman June  9....M.M.T.;   Mary  Lyon;   Mrs.Mills 

June    10 Mabel   Rice    Bigler,    '09 

(Samuel  Tolman)    June    11 Mrs.   Julia  T.   Mann 

June    12 Mrs.  Julia  T.   Mann 

June    13 Personal    Letter 

June   14 Personal   Letter 

(L.  C.  W..  d.   1904) June   15 Quotations;  C.   K.  W. 

Elizabeth  Gurnce  Anderson,  '12  ...  .June    15 L.    0.    A. 

June    16 L.    0.     A. 

June    17 M.    R.    B. 

Anna  Talcott  Gawne,   '90 June    18 A.    T.    0. 

Ilene   M.   Wittenmyer,    '01 June    19 1.    M.    W. 

June   20 1.    M.    W. 

June   21 Address,    Midwinter  Fair 

June   22 Address,   Midwinter  Fair 

June    23 Dr.    W.    C.    B. 

(Hiram  K.   Bush) June   24 Nettle   Russell   Bush 

June    25 Miss   Anna  C.    Edwards 

Clara  K.   Wittenmyer,  '74 June   26 C.    K.    W. 

June    27 Eulogy;  Dr.    F.    L.    Goodspeed 

June   28 Address;  Dr.  W.  C.  Bartlett 

June   29 Mr.    George   A.    Montgomery 

(Elizabeth  Tolnian  De  Witt) June   30 "Daily  Food"   of   Miss  Julia 

Laura  Ellis  La  Mar,   '09 Jane   30 L.    E.    La   M. 


INDEX 

BIRTHDAY  CONTRIBUTED   BY; 

OF  DATE  OR,   SELECTED  FROM 

JULY 

July  1. ...  Mills  Memorial  Magazine;  J.H. 

July      2 Mills  Memorial  Magazine,  J.H. 

July      3 Tributes  to  Mrs.   Mills 

July      4 Tributes  to  Mrs.  Mills 

(Sarah    Tolman    Foster) July      5 Recollections   of    Mrs.    Millf 

(Jessie    Crow    Brunei-) July      6 Treasured    Letter 

(Mary    Atkins   Lynch) July      7 Mrs.  Mary  Wadbam  Frost 

July      8 Mrs.   M.   W.   F. 

July      0 Imogen    Hawley 

July  10. ...  Tribute  by  Classmate  of   1845 

July    11 For  a  Birthday  of  July  13 

(John    Tolman)     July    12 Mrs.   D.   M.   C.;  C.   W. 

Mrs.    Martha    Castor July    12 (See  Dec.   7) ;  M.  C. 

Bessie  Klmball  Pitcher,   '01 July    13 (See  July  11 ) ;  H.  W.  K. 

Mrs.   Helen   Mar  Simon July    13 H.    M.    8. 

Helen    Hurd    Gambs July    14 H.    H.    0. 

Grace    Hays    Armacost July    15 G.    H.     A 

Esther  Church   (Etta  Casebolt) July    16 E.   Church 

July    17 A  Talk 

July    18 by  Mrs.   Millt 

July    19 to   a  Grad- 

July    20 uating   Class 

July    21 Mrs.   Mary  Chandler  Wright 

July    22 Mrs.   M.   C.   W. 

July    23 Honors  to  Mrs.   Mill* 

Mattle    Kirby    Hughes July    24 A.    K.    H. 

(Sarah   Howe   Tolman) July    25 Jeannie  Gregory. . 

Nettle    Russell    Bush July    26 N.    R.    B. 

Lillian   Dolliver   Bylngton, '86 July    26 L.    D.    B. 

July    27 Founders  Day,  1911;  F.  R.  C. 

July    28 Founders  Day,  1911;  F.  B.  C. 

Margaret   C.    Dills July    29 M.    C.    D. 

(Mr.    G.    W.    Scott) July    29 M.    C.    D. 

July    30 0.    K.    B. 

(Kate  E.  Wood.  '76.;  d.  '03) July    31 Mrs.    Rachel   Wood 

AUGUST  

August  1 . .  .Clipping  from  Newspaper,  1871 

(Julius   Whittaker  Hammel) August    2 D.    W.   H. 

August     3 Mrs.  Mills'  Papers;  M.  B.  H. 

August     4 Mrs.  Mills'  Papers;  M.  B.  H. 

August     5 Battle  I.   Scott 

Mary  F.    McDermott,    '07 August     6 M.    F.    McD. 

(Mrs.   J.    M.   Chase) August     7 G.  K.  B.;  C.  W. 

Carrie   McKay   Simpson,    '04 August     8 C.    McK.    S. 

August     9 Mrs.  Mills'  Papers;  M.  B.  H. 

August  10 Mrs.  Mills'  Papers;  M.   B.  H. 

Miss   Elizabeth   Herrmann August  11 E.    H. 

(Jack   Dolph)    August  11 H.    M.    D. 

Winifred  Case,    '08 August  12 W.    C.,    '08 

August  13 Juanita    Lauppe,     '10 

August  14 ...  "Shells  and  Sea  Life,"    J.  Keep 

August  15 Treasured    Letten 

August  16 Treasured    Letten 

August  17 Treasured    Letten 

August  18 1.    M.    B. 

August  19 Appreciative    Letten 

August  20 Appreciate    Letten 

August  21 Appreciative    Letten 

Eliz»   Cwfflnell    Dolph,    '69 August  22 E.    C.   D. 

August  23 Miss  Anna  C.    Edwards 

August  24 A.    C.   E. 

Hazel   Mills  Dolpb,   '03 August  25 H.    M.    D. 

August  26 H.    M.    D. 

Leila  France   McDermott August  27 L.   F.    McD. 

(Irene    McDermott) August  28 M.  F.  MeD. 

Josephine   E.    G.   Feusler,   '90 August  29 J.  E.   G.  F.;  H.  B,  f. 

Mabel   A.    Hastings,    '10 August  30 M.    A.    H.;  A.   L. 

August  31 A.    C.    E. 


INDEX 

BIRTHDAY  CONTRIBUTED    BY; 

OF                                  DATE  OB,   SELECTED  FROM 

SEPTEMBER Mrs.    Mills'    Bible 

September      1 Treasured    Letters 

September      2 Treasured    Letters 

September     3 E.    C.    D. 

September      4 Professor    W.    W.    Anderson 

Anna  L.    Sawyer,    '75 September      5 A.    L.    8. 

(William  Dolph)    September  6.. .Birthday,  Sept.   5;  H.  M.  D. 

September     7 Treasured    Letters 

September      8 Treasured    Letters 

September     9 Treasured    Letters 

September    10 Treasured    Letters 

Lurita   Stone,    '09 September   11 L.    8. 

September    12 Mrs.    Mills'    Papers 

Rosalind  A.    Keep,   '03 September    13 R.    A.    K, 

(Mrs.  Kate  Miller;  d.   1914)...September   14 H.  B.  E.;  C.  W.;  A.  M.  D. 

Alice   M.    Doughty September    14 A.    M.    D. 

September    15 Miss   Tolman's   Class   Book 

(Miss  Jane  C.   Tolman ) September   16 E.    0.    U. 

September   17 Mrs.    B.   W. 

September   18 Mrs.   R.   W. 

September   19 Treasured    Letters 

(Camilla  King  La  Point,  '09) .  .September   20 Treasured    Letters 

September   21 Treasured    Letters 

(Miss  Helen   N.    Henry) September   22 Treasured    Letters 

(Mrs.    E.    Seidel) September    23 A.    W.    8. 

(Mrs.    Nancy   Titus) September  24.. Welcome  from  Mrs.  Mills,  '11 

Mrs.   Susan  Mills  Smith September   25 S.   M.   S.   8. 

September   26 8.   M.   S.   8. 

(Cyrus  A.  Dolph;  d.   1914) September   27 E.   C.   D. 

September    28 E.   C.   D. 

(Ida    Anderson)     September   29 The  Rev.   Dr.    Landon 

September   30 The   Rer.    Dr.    Landon 

OCTOBER 

October     1 Treasured    Letters 

October     2 Treasured    Letters 

(Mabel  T.   Gray,   '90) October     3 Treasured    Letters 

(Janet    Gawne)     October      4 A.    T.    0. 

Sarah   Miller   Frost October  5. .  .8.  M.  F.;  Letter  to  Mrs.  Mills 

October     6 Letter  to  Mrs.  Mills 

October     7 Mills  Magazine;  Mrs.   Mills 

October     8 Mills   Magazine;   Mrs.    Mills 

Joie  Maze  Bunker,  '10 October     9 J.    M.    B. 

October    10 J.    M.    B. 

October   11 A    Welcome 

October   12 to    Punahou; 

October   13 Mrs.   E.    L.   D. 

October   14 Letter  to  Miss  E.  C.  Hatch 

Mrs.   M.   E.   Doughty October   15 Mrs.   M.   E.   D. 

October    16 Treasured    Poems 

October    1 7. Treasured    Letter 

Alice  Thompson   Minor,   '87 October   18 A.   T.   M.;  N.  M. 

October    19 A  Letter  From  a  Student 

Lizzie    Trask    Miller,    '73 October    20 L.    T.    M. 

Alice  White  Shebley,   '81 October   21 A.    W.    S. 

(Ruth    M.    Dodge) October   22 A  Letter  From  a  Student 

Inna  Chase    October   23 1.   C. ;  Treasured  Letters 

October   24 Treasured    Letters 

October   25 Treasured    Letters 

October   26 Treasured    Letters 

October    27 Treasured    Letters 

(Lucius  A.   Tolman) October   28 N.   D.    B. ;  C.   W. 

October   29 Roses  to  the  Living 

For  a  Birthday  of  Oct  31st October   30 D.   W.    H.;  Treasured  Letter 

(Mr.    Julius    Hammel) October  31 (See  Oct.   30);  D.  W.  H. 

(Miss  Ellen  W.   Bushnell) October   31 Letters  to  Mrs.  Mills;    E.C.D. 


INDEX 

BIRTHDAY  CONTRIBUTED    BY; 

OF  DATE  OR,   SELECTED  FROM 

.  .NOVEMBER  .  .Commemoration    of    Mrs.  Mills' 

November     1 80Ui   Birthday.   NOT.,    1905 

November    2 The    Invitation ; 

November    3 The  Beeepttai 

(Annie  Shaw  d'Ancona.  '73 November    4 In  Century  Hall; 

November     5 Ceremonies  and 

November    6 Addresses    in 

November    7 Usser    Hall; 

November     8 "White  and  Gold" 

(Alice  Kimball  Campbell,  '89) .  .November    9 H.   W.    K. 

November  10 Addresses  In  Usser  Hall 

November  11 Addresses  in  Llsser  Hall 

November  12 Congratulatory    Messages 

(Deacon    Samuel   Tolman) November  13 Family   Records 

November  14 Congratulatory    Messages 

November  15 Congratulatory    Messages 

(Miss   C.    K.    Goulding) November  16 A.  C.  E.;  Treasured  Poems 

(Dorothy  Ritchie,  See  Nov.  25) .  .November  17 Mills  Magazine,   Dec.,    1905 

(Mrs.   Carrie   E.    Trask) November  18 (See  May  22) ;  L.  T.  M. 

Sitan    Lincoln    Tolman    Mills.  .  .November  18 J.  E.  C.;  B.   M.  D. 

November  19 Remarks  at  Birthday 

November  20 Dinner,    1914 

November  21 Birthday   Letters 

November  22 Birthday   Letters 

Mary  Wadham  Frost,  '63 November  23 M.  W.  F.;  E.  W.;  B.  M. 

Nellie  M.   Moran.  '11 November  24 N.   M. 

Miss  E.  C.  Hatdi November  25 Miss  E.  C.  H.;  M.  E.  B. 

November  26 E.   0.  U.;  Mrs.  B.  W. 

November  27 Birthday    Greetings 

November  28 Birthday    Greetings 

November  29 Birthday    Greetings 

Nellie   L.    Denman,    '74 November  30 N.  L.  D.;  Birthday  Letters 

DECEMBER 

December     1 Poem;  Mrs.  Mills'  Bible 

December    2 Bev.   W.   L. 

December    3 Mrs.   Mills'   Favorite  Bible 

December     4 Letter    of    Sympathy 

Aileen    R.    Lundy,    '11 December     5 A.   R.   L. 

December     6 A.   R.   L. 

(Dr.    George  Castor) December     T Mrs.   M.  C. 

Florence   H.    Cadman,    '11 December     7 (See  Dec.   8 ) 

December    8 F.    C. 

(Thomas'    Tolman,    St.) December     9 Genealogical    Records 

Elbe    M.    Hoag December  10 E.    M.   H.;  Letter 

December  11 Bible   (See  Dec.   1,  3) 

E.  Grace  Unger,  '81 December  12 E.  0.  U.;  J.  L.  W. 

December  13 Mrs.    Mills'    Papers 

Fannie   A.    Madison,    '97 December  14 F.    A.    M. 

December  15 Dally   Press 

December  16 Daily  Press 

December  1 7 ....  Eulogy;  Dr.  Eldredge;  J.  H. 

Ellen   L.    Mellander,    '11 December  18 E.    L.    M. 

(Mr.  Andresen,  See  Feb.  16) ..  .December  19 Harriet   Rlddell  Fish 

December  20 Memorial    Magazine.    1913 

December  21 Personal   Letter 

December  22 Letters  to  Dr.   Carson 

December  23 Letters  to  Dr.   Carson 

December  24 Personal    Letters 

(Ida    Madison    Hunter) December  25 C.  K.  W. ;  Personal  Letters 

December  26 C.   K.   W. 

December  27 Rheta  Kahn  Todd.  '04 

December  28 Loving    Friends 

December  29 C.  K,  W. 

December  30 C.  K.  W. 

December  31 .  .Memorial   Tribute;    M.  C.  McA. 

Opp.  Dec.  31 Mrs.    Mills'    Bible 


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